Dragon Riders of Equestria
by Darth Gojira
Summary: Equestria's used to Dragons; just not dragons from Berk. Thanks to mischief from Discord and Alvin, Vikings and Dragons are introduced into Pony Civilization. It's up to a Twilight Sparkle and a Hiccup H. Haddock to find the loose ends and set things right. Pony Date: Season 3 of the show Berk date: Season 2 of the show (cover art by ScribbleSea)
1. Chapter 1: Magic Ripple

Magic isn't really part of Berk. Sure, there's the dragons, but they're just animals when you get to it. They're special, but they're just part of nature. There's the gods, but you can't exactly see them directly in action. The world's pretty weird without magic. You can only imagine what magic would be like on Berk. The dragons are plenty.

"Hiccup! Stoick's boy! How about we have ourselves a deal? You and your dragon for the little old lady!" Alvin the Treacherous called out into the sky. The dragons circled high above, but he knew how fast they were. As fun as brute force was for Alvin, hostages, blackmail, and, well, treachery were his best weapon. In the back of his boat was Gothi, elder of Berk, flanked by two burly Outcasts with swords to her throat. She didn't show any emotion but annoyance during the whole nighttime raid, and the bare blades didn't incur any sound but a sigh.

"You should think about changing your nickname to 'Trustworthy', before you make any deals!" Hiccup called back. He could feel Toothless tense under him as they kept their distance and flight path.

"Easy, bud; we got to make him wait. He's not going to kill her or start shooting. We just got to mess with his mind" he assured the Night Fury. Toothless wasn't the only impatient one, however.

The Monstrous Nightmare Hookfang flew up alongside Hiccup and Toothless. "Are we going to let him keep Gothi?!" Snotlout yelled. "Maybe!" Hiccup called back very loudly while shaking his head.

Astrid, as usual, was quick on the uptake- "Yeah, you're right! I don't think injuring Stormfly's worth that old lady!", her comment was combined with a wink at Hiccup.

"If we're just going to leave her, can we at least blast the ships?" Trust the twins to ruin everything. Ruffnut and Tuffnut were bright enough to be let in on plans, but they weren't exactly reliable. Hiccup could hear Alvin laughing.

"You see, Gothi? You have so little respect from these kids that they'll just leave you out to dry!"

"Hiccup, Stoick's going to miss her!" the aged Mildew called out from another Outcast ship.

"Think Alvin would miss you if we blew up your ship?" Hiccup replied

"Would you?" Mildew turned to Alvin, who just grinned at him. "Maybe" He turned back to the sky "You've called my bluff; but this isn't a bluff! Savage, let him loose!"

Alvin's crony faithfully, albeit not confidently, pulled the level on his ship, releasing a large, green dragon with an impressive musculature, short but wide and curved horns, a wide, beaked mouth and a constantly thrashing tail.

"Whoa! A Lackwit!" Hiccup exclaimed. He had seen the picture in the book, but this was the first time he'd ever seen one in real life. "Fishlegs, do you remember anything on these?"

Fishlegs had tailed behind as usual, but he and Meatlug were always dependable in this kind of situation

"Lackwit: mystery class! Aggressive as a Strike-class but none of the smarts! Possibly a misclassified Boulder with big wings or a Stoker without the fire! No one's counted the flames as they usually attack with beak and claws!" Somehow Fishlegs sounded both enthusiastic and absolutely terrified at the same time.

"That's your cue, team Jorgensen!" Hiccup signaled to Hookfang

"Let's get him, Hookfang! SNOTLOUT!" With a war whoop the Viking and the dragon swooped down.

"Astrid, you and Stormfly spare us the pleasure!" Hiccup had come up with that phrase himself for whenever Snotlout was in mortal peril. "Ruff, Tuff, Fishlegs; attack the boats, draw their fire! I'll swoop in for Gothi!"

A lot of Hiccup's plans were on the literal fly, but they worked often enough with a bit of luck and no small bit of Viking and dragon courage.

Alvin took it in calmly. His dragon found itself spinning in circles being doused with flames and poison darts. The Lackwit he captured was pure brute force and anger-a lot of fun to watch but not the main strategy. His men fired their crossbows and catapults wildly and dove off the ships as two dragons began to set the ships aflame. Again, they were useful but not the cornerstone of the plan. Even Gothi was not essential to the plan.

No, all Alvin needed was a carved dragon bone. It was marked with the runes for "Escape". He had cut a few throats to find it, just on a hunch. He had never used it before, but there was something about it that was magic. He had a dim view of magic, even back on Berk; but there was one saga that always intrigued him. Now it was time to test it out.

Crossbow bolts bounced off Meatlug as she hovered over the Viking ships, catching shot boulders in her mouth. She approached Alvin's ship, roaring at the Outcasts aboard as they shot at her in vain.

"Easy girl….just wait for Hiccup to make the save and we'll be out of here…."

Sure enough, fast as any of the bolts, a Night Fury with a bright red tail fin zoomed in from the clouds. It wasn't quite as stealthy as Hiccup had planned, but given the chaos he could easily zoom in, blast Alvin and grab Gothi in a matter of seconds.

It was when Alvin saw Toothless that he raised the dragon tooth in the sky. "To Outcast Island!" he called out. Then everything happened very quickly. The runes on the tooth glowed bright blue. Then the entire tooth glowed. Then Alvin and every other human being in the area glowed too. Even the dragons glowed. And then everything disappeared.

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"Could you get me another quill, Spike?" Twilight Sparkle didn't turn around from her desk. When she was in the groove for copying text, she didn't stop even for a snack. She was a mare on a mission.

"Sure!" The little dragon went back to the file cabinet of the office. Said office was only a small corner of the Golden Oak library, but it was essential for Twilight. She need a little extra organization in her life, a little part for herself as she spent the rest of her life with her friends and neighbors.

"Here you go. I'm gonna read that book on the dragon alliance if you need me!" Spike walked off after placing the quill on the table.

"Thanks, Spike! I think I can finish-" And then there was a disturbance. Twilight was in tune with magic-she was teaching herself how to detect magic in object and the appearance of magical objects and spells. This time it was like if someone had cast a spell right at her. She wasn't magically affected herself, but she could feel some kind of weird spell had been cast.

Spike had noticed Twilight's reaction before he left the room. "Hey, Twi! You okay? What's going on?"

"Something…something's going on. Some kind of spell I've never felt before." She struggled to articulate the sensation

"Should you alert the Princesses?" Spike had seen enough magical menaces in town to go on the alert

"Not just yet. I want to find out what this is all about. Could you and Owluicious look around the library and see if there's anything unusual or magical going on? Let me know if you find anything-I'll join you in a few minutes"

"Right!" Both the dragon and the owl saluted.

"Spike!" Twilight giggled as the bird flew out the window and the dragon walked out the door.


	2. Chapter 2: Many Meetings

Rarity's shriek nearly shattered the glass in her shop, but fortunately due to previous incidents she had magically and structurally strengthened both the panes and the glass. The windows were the last thing on her mind, however, as she levitated her stool menacingly at the Vikings in front of her. For a moment they weren't even paying attention to her

"Great, even with a magic thing taking us from Barf and Belch, I'm still stuck with you" Tuffnut muttered.

"Am I still glowing? That was cool"

"Vandals! Hooligans! What are you doing in my shop?!" Rarity yelled.

"There's no Vandals in our family! At least, I think so" Tuffnut scratched his head

"What about Uncle Hairy?" Ruffnut asked

"Nah, he was a Goth" "You'd think that if she knew our family she'd know we're Vikings" "Whoa, what if there's talking horses with horns that were Hooligans?"

Rarity started to calm down. There were strange-looking creatures in her shop that knocked over one of her prized Nappanese vases that Mr. Misaki gave her. So far, however, they didn't try to kidnap her or steal her valuables. They just looked lost and, as Applejack would say, a few apples short of a bushel.

"Hey, talking horse with a horn, are there any Hooligans you know?"

"First of all" Rarity cleared her throat, reforming her composure, "I am not 'a talking horse with a horn'. I am a unicorn, citizen of Equestria, of several generations of notable unicorns. My name is Rarity, and I am an artist, designer, and model. Is there anything I can do for you….?" She trailed off, unable to identify their species.

"Well, I just asked if there are any other Hooligans around here" Ruffnut continued

"And have you seen any other Vikings or dragons today? I mean, Vikings or dragons that aren't trying to eat people" Tuffnut added

"Are you Vikings or Hooligans? Is either the proper name for your species?"

"We're Vikings AND Hooligans!" They said in unison.

Rarity sighed. It would be a long day.

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Hiccup woke up on a cold, hard floor. He squinted as he sat up, suddenly in very bright light.  
"Toothless? Astrid? Can anyone hear me?" He called out, blinking. No response.

At least it was comfortable. Looked like a kitchen-there were pots and pans and spoons and knives all over the place, but in strange colors and shapes, some were tools he couldn't recognize at all and some looked like they weren't wood or iron at all As he stood up, he noticed how brightly colored it all was. This wasn't wattle and daub or even timber. The walls were painted over in grey with red designs, the closets pink and green, and the floor itself may have been wood but it was painted green.

He pulled himself on his feet, still groggy. Well, that was definitely magic that hit him. First time it happened, but the one thing he was sure about now was that something supernatural had happened. Was Alvin nearby? Alone, armed with only his knife, he didn't have much hope. Should've brought his shield, but that wouldn't let him know what was going on, he thought.

"Hi! Are you new here?" The door opened and a small pink horse spoke to him. Hiccup had never seen a horse live before, only in tapestries and pictures from far-off places. He was pretty sure they weren't pink and didn't talk, however.

"Uh, yes., My name's Hiccup and I'm-" Before he could finish she slammed the door close.

"Hello?"

The horse popped back in, with a huge cart that suddenly sprang flags and horns, automatically playing a musical tune

"Welcome, welcome welcome, a fine welcome to you!" She sang, dancing around the kitchen. "Welcome, welcome, welcome I say how do you do?" at this part she yanked a tall conical hat with a tassel onto his head.

"Welcome welcome welcome, I say hip hip hooray!" Somehow she had procured a huge drum and pounded on it during her dance

"Welcome welcome welcome to ponyville todaaaaay!" The song was punctuated by a huge blast of streamers and colorful shredded paper from the wagon.

For a moment there was an awkward pause. Hiccup was speechless and the horse had jumped on the counter and spread out her forelimbs.

Then he started to laugh. On Berk, most of the laughs came from sheep and other Vikings. Hiccup and Toothless found new ways to make each other laugh. In this case, it was the sheer absurdity, the total surprise, and the utter surreality of the scene that just got to him.

"Yaaay! I got a giggle!" the horse cheered.

"Do you do this with everyone?" Hiccup said with a chuckle.

"Yup! If someone's new in Ponyville, I roll out the welcome wagon. Neat, huh?"

"That's…friendly of you. Are there any, um, humans around here? "

"Nope. Just ponies. And Gummy. And the mules and donkeys. And all the critters at Fluttershy's. And there's sheep and cows and pigs and chickens. And sometimes griffins and zebras come around. But mostly ponies. Oh, and Spike"

"I don't suppose you've seen a dragon around here. Do you know what dragons are?" Hiccup talked to her as patiently as possible, the same way he talked to the more unruly dragons, or Snotlout and the Twins.

"Yeah! My friend Twilight lives with a baby dragon, my friend Spike! Are you looking for him, Mr. Human?"

No humans but a baby dragon. A town run by intelligent talking horses. This couldn't be a dream-most of his dreams involved either dragons, his dad, running from pointy objects, and occasionally a wet Astrid.

"Does he talk, too?"

"Of course!"

A talking baby dragon. He had to see this.

"I'd like to meet him, miss, uh-"

"Pinkie! Pinkie Pie!" She grinned.

"I'm Hiccup Haddock, I'm from Berk" What else could he say, really?

"Sure! Follow me! Hiccup, huh? If I startled you or if you drank a lot of water, would you disappear? Or do you just hiccup a lot? I just like saying the word hiccup. It's a funny sound, so it gets a funny name. Like pop! Or whizz! Oh, and Twilight and Fluttershy say that when I bounce up and down like I always do, it's called pronking! I love that word, pronking! It's almost as fun as doing it! Pronk! Pronk! Pronk!"

"Oh Toothless, where are you?" Hiccup muttered to himself.

Astrid woke up outside, in contrast. First thing she saw was the trunk of a huge tree looming over her. She sat up with a start

"Stormfly? Stormfly, where are you?"

As she looked around, she realized that she was in a town square, but one unlike Berk's. Instead of carved wood, the houses were painted all sorts of bright colors. Even more colorful were the horses walking around. They didn't seem to notice her at first-good thing in case they were hostile.

With a hand on the hilt of her sword, she stood up as quietly as she could and started walking around the tree. It was absolutely huge, not as tall as some of the redwoods of Berk, but much wider, wider than some of the houses. Were those windows in the tree? Was the tree a building, too?

As she look up to try to peer inside the window, something bumped into her.

"Whoa!" both the Viking and the stranger yelped. Sword came out. She knew Hiccup didn't like it when she carried a weapon when Stormfly could fight for her, but she felt safer with it, it was her grandfather's sword, and, as she had pointed out many times, they could get caught away from their dragons.

Right now, her sword was pointed right at a dragon. A small, purple dragon who stuck up his arms in surrender.

"Don't hurt me, whatever you are! I'm with Twilight Sparkle!" it protested

"Are…are you a dragon?"

"If I said yes, will you impale me?"

"No, that might just make you pretty interesting" said Astrid as she sheathed the blade.

"Well, yeah. I'm Spike the dragon. Basically the only dragon in Ponyville. And I like to think that I'm interesting"

"I'm Astrid, the human" it was awkward, but maybe the dragon would know where other humans were. She was still trying to wrap her head around the idea of a talking dragon.

"Uh, nice to meet you?" he offered a claw. She shook it. Well, that was one point in common.

"I hate to sound stupid, but I've never heard of a human before. I mean, I live in a library for crying out loud, but I've never heard of that. Do you always walk on two legs?"

"Do you?" She smirked.

"Most of the time. Believe me, the ponies really appreciate it since, well, you know, hooves and all"

"The ponies? Do they live here? Do they talk, too?"

"Sure. That's how I learned how. Let me take you to my best friend, Twilight Sparkle. She raised me since I hatched and I bet if there's anything about humans, she'd know"

"Um, okay" A talking dragon was taking her to meet a talking horse. She once dreamed about a talking horse one time when she accidentally drank a whole horn of mead, but then the horse caught fire and turned into a fireworm and Hiccup somehow froze it and smiled at her in just the most irresistible way….. Yeah, not happening here, so not a dream.

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Next to wake up was Fishlegs, also next to a tree. The familiar smells of sea salt and Meatlug were gone-he was definitely not at sea anymore.

"Girl? Hiccup? Anybody?" Then an object fell on his head and fell in his hand.

Blinking awake, Fishlegs took a look at the object. It was an apple. Huh. So he was next to an apple tree. That narrowed things down…somewhat. Sitting up, he casually munched on the apple that fell. It was ripe and delicious, and much juicier than those on Berk. It calmed him down-apples mean civilization (well, at least Berk level civilization), and people, and probably help. Hopefully help, anyway. Outcast Island didn't have any apples, so this was still a good sign.

"I hope you plan on paying for it, unless you don't have any money. Do you, now?" A strangely accented voice interrupted his thoughts.

Fishlegs turned to see an orange horse with a bright yellow mane wearing a wide-brimmed hat. And it was talking to him.

"What kinda critter are you supposed to be anyway?"

Fishlegs froze and stood up straight as a board. Hiccup taught him about this, right?

"My name is Fishlegs. I live on the island of Berk". Perfect. He remembered the drill. Took him a few times, but it was surprisingly easy when it was a talking horse and not any monster or Viking warrior that his active imagination usually came up with.

"Never heard of Berk, but it's been a while since I took geography" the horse replied, "Got anything like foreign money? If ya don't, it's okay. I'll think of somethin' you could do around the farm"

"Farm?" Ah, of course. That would explain the orchard. It just was hard thinking about horses who do their own farming.

Applejack sighed. She had to admit it took her a while to think about what to say to the strange critter that suddenly was lying in the orchard. Still, it looked friendly, and might just be a potential customer.

"Yessiree! This here's Sweet Apple Acres, the best apple orchard in Equestria if I do say so myself. We've got apples of all varieties, and you're in luck since it's the bucking season! We're affordable, got a full menu of apple recipes, and we even cater!" Big Pony welcome, always calms 'em down, she thought.

It was Fishleg's turn to sigh. "Well, I don't have anything to trade, although that was delicious." Then business came back in his mind.

"Uh, ma'am? Are there any dragons around here? I mean, have you see any dragons, specifically a short one, kinda wide, small wings, tail like a mace, big mouth, adorable smile?"

"There's only one dragon in Ponyville, sugarcube, and that's Spike. He might be able to help you out, Mr. Uh?"

"Fishlegs. Fishlegs Ingerman"

"Applejack, at yer service!" She tipped her hat with her tail, "Let's see if Twilight and Spike can find these dragons for you. Could you help me with the wagon? Hitch's a little fussy."

As Fishlegs hitched a large pink cart full of red apples to the horse, he had to ask her one more question.

"How big is this Spike, anyway?"

"Aw, he's just a little guy. Nothin' be scared of, and he's pretty nice, too. Mind you, sometimes he tells these terrible jokes"

"Yeah, I know these two-wait, tells jokes? He talks?!"

"'Course he does, as good as anypony"

Fishlegs couldn't wait to tell Hiccup about this.


	3. Chapter 3: Exposition City

"Hey, Twilight, this is amazing, come look here!"

Twilight put down her quill. Sometimes Spike became excited about the most banal things, but it was always good to find out what

"Sure, Spike. Did you find anything about that magical spell I felt earlier?" She trotted to the door.

"Well, she might be connected to it." Spike entered the room

"She?"

"Uh, hi?" Astrid followed Spike in.

"You are a she, aren't you? You sound like a she"

"Last time I checked" Astrid rolled her eyes.

"She's a human, she says. Any idea what that is?"

"No, but I'll find out! Hello, my name is Twilight Sparkle" Twilight smiled genuinely. First that magic spell, now a strange new being had entered Ponyville. She could write a letter to Celestia about it-no, a book! Yes, she'd be an ambassador who studies this new, undiscovered civilization! Strange pink bipeds with manes who stand on two feet and wear clothes!

"I'm Astrid Hofferson and I need your help" Astrid hated to say that phrase, but she had to be honest with herself. She needed the talking purple horned horse's help. Twilight Sparkle, she corrected herself.

"All right, Astrid, I want to know where you came from and how, if you don't mind. I'd like a detailed summary" Twilight was in the groove again, putting on her glasses and whipping over the pen, ink and parchment from their desk.

Astrid told her everything in reasonable detail. She had to explain a few times about human society, Viking customs, Berk dragons, and Alvin the Treacherous.

"Teleportation magic" Twilight mumbled to herself, "And there's no signs of anyone else?"

"No, I have no idea where any of the other Vikings and humans are. Like I said, some of them are friends of mine but others are very dangerous"

"Fascinating" Twilight took off her glasses, "Well, as you might have noticed, there's a lot of magic in Equestria, and I'm a student of it myself. I'll tell you my story when we meet some of your friends. I'll do what I can to help you out" Twilight gave a smile of support. Astrid smiled back, somewhat relieved.

"Hey, Twily! Guess what I found? I found a human! He seems nice." Pinkie's voice called in from outside.

"Is anyone home?" came a voice unfamiliar to Twilight but familiar to Astrid.

"Hiccup!" Just as Twilight opened the door, Astrid jumped up from the couch, sprinted across the room and embraced Hiccup so hard it nearly broke his bones.

"Astrid! I was so worried, I didn't know what happened to you" He met his embrace

"Same here! The dragons are gone but I think I've found someone who can really help us out. I'm just so glad you're all right!" She punctuated with a soft, quick kiss.

"Yay! I won't have to introduce him to you!" Pinkie clapped her hooves.

"So, who else from your group is not accounted for?" Twilight asked Hiccup, who had turned bright red from the lip-lock.

"5 more Vikings, and 5 dragons" Hiccup seemed to suddenly find the floor very interesting, if his gaze was any indication.

"I'd better make some cakes!" Pinkie bounced off.

"Sorry about Pinkie. She's a lot of fun, but she kind of goes too far" Twilight giggled

"I've noticed" Hiccup laughed along

"Spike, take a letter!" Twilight returned to her desk

"Right!" Spike grabbed fresh parchment and a pen, ready as always

"Dear Princess Celestia, a few minutes ago, I sensed an unusual magical phenomenon. It may or may not be connected with several strangers that suddenly appeared in Ponyville. They call themselves humans, of a Viking culture from the island of Berk. They have informed me of their peaceful intentions and all they really want is to find their dragons and go home. The dragons of Berk have very different biology from those that have been encountered in Pony history, and are very distinctive in appearance and personality-"

"How many ps in appearance?" Spike stopped her.

"Two. - are very distinctive in appearance and personality. I have talked to two of these humans and they tell me that they have special friendships with these dragons so for the benefit of everypony, they should be reunited as fast as possible. They also have informed me of a dangerous dragon native to their land that is wild and violent, as well as a party of warlike humans called the Outcasts and led by one Alvin. They are to be considered armed and dangerous. I will send more letters as the crisis continues, and I would like to know if any other strange beings or dragons have appeared in Equestria today. Don't worry, I'm sure I can handle this. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle."

"Twilight…Sparkle" Spike repeated as he finished writing, "got it!" And with a puff of green magical flame, the rolled up parchment disappeared.

"Do dragons here do that?!" Hiccup was caught entirely off-guard.

"Only Spike here-he's got a lot of special talents, and one of those is this magic transportation. Was the magic that brought you here anything like that?" Twilight turned back to her guests

"No, it was a lot brighter, more dramatic."

"Well, there's a lot of transportation spells out there. I'm familiar with a lot of them. Magic's my special talent, you see"

"I didn't believe in magic until today" Astrid admitted, "Is everyb…pony magic?"

"Just the unicorns can cast particular spells, but you'd be surprised on what pegasi and earth ponies can do"

"Interesting-you've got a very different writing system than we do." A new voice entered the room.

"Fishlegs?" Hiccup spun around

Fishlegs had picked up a book and was looking carefully at the pages. "I couldn't help listening-do you guys write with magic or with ink?"

"We use magic to use quills. We don't have hands, remember?" Twilight was so carried away by this cross-cultural contact she didn't ask her

"Fishlegs, " Hiccup grabbed the larger Viking by the shoulders, partially to grab his attention but partially in gratitude that he was all right, "Are you all right? Have you seen anyone or any of the dragons?"

"No, just Applejack" He motioned to the pony in the doorway.

"Howdy! You're Fishleg's friends, I'd reckon. 'Name's Applejack. Fishlegs, this here's Twilight Sparkle and Spike, like I told you" Applejack leaned against the doorway, feeling more relieved now that Twilight was there and that other humans had arrived.

"We've also met Pinkie Pie. You'll know her when you see her" Astrid added.

"Now, I believe there was some exposition I was missing!" Fishlegs rubbed his hands, "Hiccup, did you tell them about Berk?"

"Well, Astrid did. I do want to know about this place"

"Lecture time!" Twilight squealed like a schoolfilly.

"Hoo doggy" Applejack exhaled, sarcastically

Fortunately for AJ, the lecture was interrupted only after a few minutes. No sooner than Twilight gotten to the story of Nightmare Moon than they were interrupted once more.

"Twilight, darling, would you mind taking these off our hands?" Rarity cleared her throat on the other side of the door.

"These? That's probably-" Hiccup started

"Are you sure we can't ride you, blue winged pony?"

"Nuh uh"

"-the twins." Hiccup finished as Twilight opened the door to reveal Ruffnut and Tuffnut wrapped back to back with bedsheets, being suspended in mid air by a combination of Rarity's magic and Rainbow Dash flying above.

"Whoa, we're being infested!" Rainbow Dash yelped

"We are? Untie us, unicorn fashion artist! We gotta get outta here!" Ruffnut panicked

"Untie them-they're with us" Hiccup sighed

"Okay, guys, what did you break?" Astrid put her hands on her hips.

"Just a vase. Looked pretty nice, though" Tuffnut offered

"Please tell me these other…gentlefolk are a bit more civilized" Rarity wearily untied the twins. Last time Rarity looked this haggard, it was after being stuck on a handcart with Pinkie Pie.

"Are they the human Pinkie Pies?" Twilight asked Hiccup

"That's actually a pretty good comparison. Only more violent"

"Oh Rarity! Are you all right? Did they hurt you?" Spike ran out, panicking

"Spikey! Oh, don't worry darling, I captured them myself. They just made a mess….a Sweetie Belle sized mess…." Rarity smiled at the dragon assuringly.

"Yes, that's a talking dragon; no, he can't breathe much fire" Hiccup corrected Tuffnut just as he opened his mouth.

"He did destroy a city once. That was cool. " Rainbow dash corrected Hiccup in turn

"He did? That's AWESOME!" The twins cheered in unison

"He was very sorry! Poor Spikey just wasn't himself!" Rarity objected

Twilight turned to Hiccup again, "So, how many are left?"

"Just three of us from Berk, Snotlout and Gothi." "Snoutlot makes those two"-Astrid gestured towards the twins, "look smart by comparison, so he'll be easy to find Just look where the animals are running from"

And suddenly Twilight had an inspiration. "Animals! That's it! I'm going to Fluttershy's, everpony. The rest of you stay put and let me know if Celestia's responded!" And with that, she was out the door and galloping off.

"Fluttershy?" Astrid was confused

"Another friend of ours. She's pals with all the animals around here, and she even understands them" Spike explained.

"Guess you're not the most empathic person anymore" Fishlegs elbowed Hiccup.

"Well, that's actually a pretty good idea if that's the case" Hiccup ignored the dig.

"She really is quite thoughtful; I'm sure she'll know exactly what to do if she finds any of your friends" Rarity assured them.

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"HOOKFANG! ASTRID! HICCUP! SOMEBODY SAVE ME! GET THEM OFF ME!"

"I'm awfully sorry if you're hurt, Mr. Monkey, but I won't let you hurt my friends. I'm not giving you back your sword until you apologize to Harry" Fluttershy was quite firm on this issue. She honestly felt sorry for Snotlout, being pinned down by various animals and tied to a chair, but she drew the line at hurting poor Harry. The bear fortunately was only scratched, but he wouldn't stop crying.

"I'm not apologizing to that bear! He started it!" Snotlout tried to break free, but somehow the mice, squirrels, rabbits and birds had tied him up with knots that would make a sailor jealous.

"You can't hold me forever! I'm a Viking warrior and I shall break free and summon my dragon!"

"Viking? I've never heard of that species. I'm sorry I called you monkey-it was the closest thing to you."

A knock at the door interrupted her. "Excuse me, Mr. Viking, I'll be right back. Don't hurt him, Angel" she addressed the knife-wielding bunny standing guard over Snotlout.

"Oh, hello Twilight" Fluttershy, even when happy, spoke extremely quietly and softly, "is there anything I can do for you?"

"Have you had a…visitor lately?"

"Oh yes, he and Harry bear had a fight, so I'm trying to get them to make up. He says he's a Viking; would you know what that is?"

"Mr…Snotlout?" Twilight asked as she entered the cottage.

"Huh? Uh, yeah" Snotlout stopped struggling, confused

"My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I've found your friends"

"Are they hurt?"

"No"

"Oh" Snotlout deflated


	4. Chapter 4: Passtime Planning

Twilight returned with Fluttershy and Snotlout, finding the others waiting around and talking to each other.

"Hey Twilight! Great news!" Spike waved, "Celestia found another human in Canterlot, the old one! Says they had a great conversation"

"Even though she's never spoken a word in living memory. Even Mildew's" Hiccup added, still trying to wrap his head around the concept.

"Good!" Twilight said, "And Fluttershy found Snotlout"

"Hiccup! I was attacked by a bear! And a rabbit! And whole bunch of little birds!" Snotlout still looked shocked

"The bad news is that there's still no sign of the dragons. Or the Outcasts." Astrid explained

"I've got a lot of geography books, and if I have to, we'll go to the Canterlot archives. Hiccup, you know about their preferred habitats?" Twilight started brainstorming

"Definitely! We all know our dragons inside and out," he confirmed.

"Fluttershy, the reason I came over was to ask your help. I need to find out where the other Vikings and their dragons are" Twilight turned to the pegasus

"Dragons?!" Fluttershy squeaked

"Tamed ones" Twilight assured her, "It's the other Vikings we have to worry about. I need as many eyes, ears, and noses as possible so we can figure this whole thing out. Could you please tell your animal friends to let you know if they see anything?"

"Of course, Twilight. I hope they don't run into the…other Vikings"

\

The axe crashed into the Manticore's head one more time, and this time it stopped twitching.

"Well, Mildew, that was fun, but there has to be more of a reason to save your life" Alvin chuckled over the dead Manticore and quivering old man.

"Oh, don't worry, Alvin. I'll help you get out of here. Have you seen any of your lads yet?" Mildew pulled himself to his feet with his staff.

"Not yet. I don't expect anything in this forest but worms and dirt. If there's any towns near here, they'd go there. I suspect that's where the brats from Berk are heading. We can cut them off there, but first we'd need everyone together. Come on, rouse your bones-we're got to find the rest of the crew. "

"What if the dragons find us first?"

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that" A low chuckle interrupted their conversation. Both Outcasts spun around in surprise

"What in Hel are you?" Alvin for once was taken aback. Standing before them was a strange creature that with mismatched body parts and a big smile on a goat's face.

"Is that a dragon?"Mildew tilted his head in confusion

"If you want me to" The Goat head turned into a red dragon's, "But I'm hoping for something a little more imaginative"

"Something tells me you know where everyone is in this place" Alvin stroked his beard thoughtfully.

"And something tells me that you want your men back and want to find the dragons and their friends." Discord stroked his beard in imitation, suddenly wearing a Viking helmet, "You've been entertaining enough for me to help you. You can call me Discord-name, title, and job description all in the same word. Clever, aren't I?"

"And just how are you going to get my men back to me?" Alvin raised an eyebrow

"The same way you got to this world, Alvin. Now, I have a question; given the choice between going back home now , or first dealing with your rivals from Berk, which would you choose" With a snap of his fingers, he conjured up two glowing circles-one with the image of the Northern Islands, the other with frowning stick figures and stick dragons.

"You know my answer already. You're very smart, Discord. Too smart. It would interest me exactly how you know all this and how you have this power. You have something to do with this magic that brought us here"

" Oh, I made that tooth as a present a very long time ago. Or perhaps it was the future. Sometimes it's hard to keep track.I am Chaos, after all-the very personification of chaos and disorder and randomness. It's quite a lovely existence"

"Chaos? Discord? I think we'll get along quite well. As for the question, I think I'll finish my business here before I leave"

"I don't trust him, Alvin" Mildew growled

"You're right, Mildew. You shouldn't" Alvin turned to face him, chuckling, "You shouldn't trust me, either. Of course, where would you be without me, eh? Do you miss the days where the dragons were flying around without fear, while you cowered in your little shack by that little cabbage field with those sheep the only company that wasn't either dragon or brat? I could send you back to Berk. I could turn myself in, too, but I won't. Will you?" The grin never left his face

"Of course not, Alvin! Please, go on" Mildew stammered, trying to be as inoffensive as possible.

Discord wiped a tear from his eye and sighed. "Oh, you are certainly the most entertaining thing that I've brought to Equestria yet. I almost considered bringing over Dagur, but he just hasn't mastered that subtle art of…well, subtlety"

"Never forget that, my friend" Alvin laughed this time, "Now, about me and my men?"

"Ah, of course. Go North-past Ghastly Gorge, thought Froggy Bottom Bog, and through Everfree Forest, then on to Ponyville, and follow the train. You'll know it when you see it. Bon voyage, Captain" Discord snapped his fingers again. Another flash of light, and they were gone.

/

"And this one's my dragon, Toothless" Hiccup explained as he drew out another dragon on the parchment Twilight gave her, "He's a Night fury-black scales with a red fin I built for him. The problem with Night Furies is that they're, as you might have guessed, nocturnal"

Twilight studied the drawings and took notes as Hiccup continued, "And he understands the language?"

"Took him a while, but he's good at it-also hand signals and calls" he confirmed.

While Spike, Astrid, Applejack, Fluttershy and Rarity were paying attention to the planning, Pinkie Pie had already started a party.

"Come on guys! This cake stuff is great!" Ruffnut licked the crumbs off her fingers. "Yeah, before we finish it!" Tuffnut added

"I call this dance the 'Lout!" Snotlout started dancing awkwardly next to Rainbow Dash

"No thanks, guys. I lost my appetite already" Astrid called back.

"Fishlegs, I thought you wanted to do help with this!" Hiccup rolled his eyes

"Just let me finish another cupcake…oh it's glorious…." Fishlegs munched on Pinkie's banquet, too distracted.

"Any particular habitat for Night Furies?" Twilight looked up from her notes

"Well…that's the thing" Hiccup looked sheepish, "They're rare and I haven't seen any others than Toothless. The Book of Dragons doesn't even have a drawing-I had to write in the entry myself"

"Well, what do they like to eat?" Fluttershy asked

"Fish, except eels." Hiccup answered

"So he'll probably be following the coasts and rivers. Fish has a really distinctive smell, so he'll find them" Spike concluded.

"Well, he'd be limited-see, his tail fin won't work without my help. I'm his fin and he's my leg" Hiccup smiled thoughtfully at his iron foot.

"Wow, you really are close" Twilight was touched by this connection, "Then it looks like all we'll have to do is bring you two together. And you said the dragons can fend for themselves?"

"Most of the time, although Hookfang can be…..unruly" Fishlegs wiped his mouth, joining in on the conversation, "although I hate to think of poor little Meatlug, by herself, all alone in the world" He started to sniffle and his a single tear went down his face.

"Glad we're comin' together, but y'all should be also thinkin' about stayin' the night, and then where to start lookin' in the morning," Applejack interrupted Fishleg's drama, "I think I've got some places in the barn where y'all can stay, but with the harvest comin' in, it's gonna be full of apples soon"

"Well, I can't take anypony-I live in Cloudsdale and you guys can't fly" Rainbow Dash looked sheepish.

"Dibs on Pinkie's place!" Ruffnut and Tuffnut yelled out together.

"Triple the fun! All right!" Pinkie Pie jumped up and down.

"Good, because I refuse to let them my house again" Rarity glared at the two Vikings bouncing along with Pinkie.

"And I refuse to go into Fluttershy's house again" Snotlout crossed his arms.

"Fine, I'll go with Fluttershy. You said the animals would tell you about whatever dragons they saw, right?" Hiccup turned to her.

Fluttershy looked hopeful, "Oh, yes. And you said the dragons were really nice, right?"

"At least Toothless is."

"Good" They shared a smile.

"I'll stay here with Twilight then" Astrid offered.

"I can stay with you, Rarity. I promise to Odin, I will not break a single object of yours…on purpose" Fishlegs raised his hand in oath.

"Well, I suppose if you keep your promise and act with a modicum of restraint, then you can certainly share my house" Rarity gave her consent.

"That leaves me with Snotlout" Applejack concluded, "Reckon you can help me with the chores while you stay? I'll let you do the easy, light stuff"

"Are you making fun of me, Apple? I'll let you know that whatever you can dish out, I can take" Snotlout boasted to Applejack, who smirked in return

"Consider that a bargain, sugar" Applejack answered.

"Well, glad that's settled. Goodnight everypony..and person. I'm so glad for your cooperation-don't worry, I for one will try to get you back to your dragons, and then back home" Twilight adjourned the meeting.

"We're really grateful, Twilight; we need all the help we can get" Hiccup bowed before following Fluttershy out. Pinkie and the twins had already bounced out.

"It's going to be a long day tomorrow" Twilight said, partially to herself as her friends, old and new, left the library.

/

Astrid was awoken by a gasp from the bed next to hers. Twilight was nice enough to roll out a sleeping bag for herself and leave the bed for the guest. She wasn't able to stay asleep long-too many thoughts, too many worries, too many possibilities. She could only imagine what Hiccup was going through right now, but it must have been close to her own misgivings. Spikes' outburst distracted her, but she was more curious than offended.

Spike hated nightmares. He had trouble getting back to sleep from them. When he was just a hatchling, Twilight would keep telling him that dreams aren't real, that they won't determine what happens in his life. He wished he could remember that. Twilight told him that they both needed to balance their thinking and emotions; but that was easier said than done.

His eyes popping open, he suddenly saw Astrid looking at him.

"Sorry. Did I wake you?" Spike whispered. He'd woken up Twilight before, but Twilight knew about the kinds of dreams he had, and they had been together for all his life. A stranger seeing him like this was downright awkward.

"Not really. Are you okay?" She asked in turn. Being around Hiccup got her into trying to be more empathetic. It was hard-most of her life taught her how to be a Viking, not how to be a friend.

"Just a nightmare" Spike said with a sigh.

"Dragons have nightmares, huh? I never really thought about that. My dragon Stormfly makes noises when she sleeps, but she's not afraid".

"I'm guessing Stormfly's a lot bigger than me, is an adult, and never fallen in love or been face to face with evil sorcerers"

"You guessed right. Wait, you've fallen in love?"

"Yeah" Spike looked sheepish, "I wish I could kiss Rarity like you kissed Hiccup"

Astrid blushed, "Well, it came as a surprise to me, too." She paused, "Rarity? The white pony?"

"The most beautiful unicorn- no, the most beautiful pony in the whole world" Spike signed.

"But you're a dragon-"

"And she's a pony. I know. I've heard it all before. I just do, that's all"

Astrid was going to argue, but then realized something.

"I…understand." She said

"You do?" Spike tilted his head

"Well…me and Hiccup…I knew for years that he liked me, but I just felt that I couldn't like him. He wasn't much of a Viking-still isn't. He'd rather draw than fight, and build rather than burn. What changed is that after he learned how to train dragons, after he made himself useful and kind and brave and patient and, well, embarrassed me. He did something I could never hope to do, just by being himself. I knew he admired me since we were kids, but I didn't know I could admire him"

"So what changed is that you became brave enough to let yourself fall in love with him in return" Spike said thoughtfully, "So what Rarity and I have to do is be brave enough to admit that we love each other"

"Is that what I did? Huh, guess it was."

"For your sake, I hope you and Hiccup do get together"

"Same with you and Rarity. I guess we have to look out for each other."

"Sounds good to me. I'll do what I can"

"I'm taking relationship advice from a baby dragon. I must be more tired than I thought" Astrid found the humor in the situation.

"Well, I'm glad you talked to me, Astrid. Thanks a lot" Spike gave a genuine grateful smile.

"I'm learning too, Spike. Thanks" She returned his smile before lying back down. Talking with Spike calmed her down. Maybe with the help of this dragon and these ponies, they could find the dragons and get home, she thought. She smiled again when she thought about seeing Stormfly again. She dreamed about her and Stormfly and Toothless and Hiccup that night-it was a good dream at last.


	5. Chapter 5: The Morning Alarm

"I'm glad we had this talk, Hiccup" Fluttershy smiled at him as they walked from her house back to the library the next morning.

"Yeah, you're really thoughtful. I think I understand my dad a little more" Hiccup returned the smile, "Oh, and thanks for the tea"

"You're very welcome. You're very nice, and I can see why your dragon likes you. I wish I was brave like you"

"And I wish I was as patient as you. See, that's why your friends like you so much. You're not a doormat; you're a good person…pony with your own contributions."

"That's really nice of you"

/

/

/

This successful human-pony relationship extended to more than just the more empathic ones

"Darling, you didn't need to help me with the dishes"

"You did made breakfast and I just felt obligated"

"I could have done them myself-I usually do. But that was rather thoughtful of you, Fishlegs" Rarity was a picture of relief, "I admit I had a rather discouraging first impression"

"Well, to be honest the twins are like most Vikings on Berk, only a little more so. I'm sorry about the vase"

"I did catch it in time; you don't need to apologize. I'm surprised by how interested you were in my books"

"I just wish I could read them"

"Oh, I'm sure Twilight will think of something. You were a perfect gentlepony, darling"

"Glad I could oblige" With that, Fishlegs started imitating Rarity's elegant stride.

/

/

/

"Does your brother ever talk more than two words?" Snotlout asked as he accompanied Applejack to town.

"When he has to, sugarcube; he's a lot smarter than ponies think. He lets me do the talking, but when he says somethin', it's always important" Applejack explained, "Anyway, thank ya kindly for your buckin'. Sure you ain't tired?"

"My dad taught me that you gotta lift a tree every day, and rest is for the weak" Snotlout almost preened himself.

"I hear ya. I thought that too a long time ago, then one day I worked so hard I couldn't see the table in the kitchen. You gotta trust your friends, sugarcube, or they ain't gonna trust you and you ain't gonna trust yourself"

"We're Vikings, Applejack," he argued, stopping the walk, "you have to rely on yourself!"

"There's a difference between being able to do somethin' for yourself, and knowing when you can't. Sounds like you need to talk your friends more than your paw" Applejack's tone turned more serious.

Snotlout almost said something, growled in frustration, and stomped down the path.

/

/

/

"And I love my knife and I love my goat, and I love my dragon-headed boat, I'm a Viking through and through!" Somehow a baritone, mezzo-soprano, and a coloratura soprano managed to squeak out in perfect harmony.

"I think that's the last of the verses we made" Ruffnut scratched her head

"Your turn again, Pinkie!" Tuffnut cheered

"Okay, which one do you guys want to sing this time?"

"How about that one about those cup things again?"

"All righty! All you gotta do is take a cup of flour, add it to the mix/" Pinkie Pie belted out the song, the twins following her lead.

The Library doors opened to the assembled Ponies and Humans as Twilight, Spike and Astrid joined the rest in the main square. All eyes turned to Twilight as she walked confidently out to meet them.

"Good morning everybody", Twilight had repressed the habit of using "everypony" at the moment, "I thought it over last night, I think we should start the search in Canterlot. We know there's already a human there, and there's train lines to most regions of Equestria from there. Furthermore, that library's a lot bigger than mine, including many books on dragons. I first read those when I was raising Spike, and they had maps showing dragon habitats. Your dragons may have fallen in with them to socialize, or if there's a conflict, they'd be roosting nearby. And, of course, we should look alongside watercourses."

"Are there fish spawning areas around here? They'll be following the schools" Hiccup asked.

"Ooh, that's a good idea. Fluttershy, you work with water animals; got any ideas?"

"Well, I live by a stream where the otters and raccoons like to eat, but there's not enough fish there for a dragon" Fluttershy looked sheepish, "I'm sorry"

"Don't be. We can use your knowledge of the wilderness on the search" Hiccup reassured her.

"I still think we should look for them from the air. Dragons aren't exactly stealthy-we should see them a mile away!" Rainbow Dash argued.

"Hold it, you can fly that high with those little wings? Gronkles have bigger wings than that!" Snotlout interrupted.

"Shouldn't have said that, sugarcube" Applejack grinned.

Rainbow Dash smirked, "Don't think I could do it? I forgot you didn't know who won the Best Young Flier Award OR who enlisted in Wonderbolt Academy. Tell ya what, buddy-you're gonna ride me and you'll see how high I can go."

"Yeah, saw this one coming" Spike commented dryly.

"I'm surprised it didn't happen earlier" Astrid replied deadpan.

"Please, Hookfang takes me over the clouds; I can't see a little horse doing better than Hookfang."

"Are you too chicken to do it?" Rainbow Dash's eyes narrowed.

"Nobody calls me chicken!" Snotlout glared back at her.

"Then get on"

"Fine. Keep it short, though" Snotlout muttered as he mounted Rainbow Dash right behind her wings.

"Hang on!" she gave him a sinister grin before spreading her wings, crouching down for a spring, and then taking wing.

There was a rainbow-colored streak in the pegasus' wake as she sped upwards over the houses, quickly growing smaller in the distance as Snotlout's continuous scream faded.

"That was a bit extreme" Rarity commented, peering through her field glasses at the distant rainbow streak circling the sky.

"With Snotlout, you have to get the message across a little harder" Hiccup sighed.

Soon enough, the rainbow streak came to earth, slowed down, and then suddenly stopped in the middle of the square. A quick buck of Rainbow's hips sent Snotlout into the dirt. Astrid and the twins cheered and applauded.

"Thank you! Thank you!" Rainbow Dash waved a hoof in pride, "Well, how's that, flyboy?" She turned to the Viking lying facefirst in the dirt.

"Mmt mmmt mmmm mmm mmm-nmnn mmm mm-mmp"

"I think he got the point" Applejack smirked.

Meanwhile, Twilight was showing Canterlot on a map of Equestria to Hiccup

"Centrally located, lots of land-that limits the dragons' food sources, and that means that Outcasts will have to travel on foot" Hiccup rubbed his chin thoughtfully

"Good. We can outpace them if we take the train"

"Train?"

"Think of a big ship pulled by either magic, steam energy or horsepower over a fixed path" Twilight explained

"That's one of the less weird things I've seen here. How fast does it go?"

"Well, we'll reach Canterlot by dark even in bad conditions. We're still early enough. I trust everyone's had breakfast"

"Just one, yes" Pinkie Pie replied.

"I suppose I'll have to pack" Rarity sighed

"It's only a train ride" Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes as Rarity trotted back home to change

When she returned, she was wearing a blue dress and matching wide-brimmed hat with a lace trim. "I made it myself!"

To her disappointment, no one seemed to take particular notice at the train station. The humans were busy looking at the train, and the local ponies looking at the humans.

"It's okay-they're with me." Twilight assured the ticket vendor.

"Hey Hiccup, think you could make one of these?" Fishlegs was in awe of the train.

"Well, I'd have to find out how it works. Besides, we've got the ships and the dragons. Do we really need a-um-" The word escaped him

"'s called a train, sugar" Applejack chuckled

"Whoa, what would happen if we literally trained a dragon?" Tuffnut scratched his chin.

"How do you turn a dragon into a train?"

"No, I mean hitched one up to a train"

"I LIKE IT!" Ruffnut approved

"Actually, that might just work" Hiccup tapped his lips with his index finger.

"Tamed Dragons. I have GOT to see this" Rainbow Dash said to herself as they boarded.

"Oh, don't worry, you will" Astrid grinned at her, " I mean, that's why we're here, after all!"

They were well on their way, they were almost to Freiberger Mountain just south of Canterlot and Mt. Faust, and Twilight was looking out the window when there was a sudden jolt and everything went black. When she woke up, she was flat on the ground, dizzy, sore, and completely confused.

"What just happened?" She groaned as she struggled to get up on all four hooves

"The worst track repair ever!" Pinkie snorted in anger

"Someone dug a pit for the train!" another pony, a passenger from another car, explained

"The Outcasts! They planned this!" Fishlegs was frantic

"They took Spikey!" Rarity joined his shrieking

"Oh no! Is anypony hurt?" Twilight looked around

"Just some bruises and bumps" Astrid rubbed her head

"What are we standing around here for? Let's get 'em!" Snotlout raised his sword.

"They're not getting away!" Rainbow Dash agreed, stamping her hooves

"Fluttershy, see what you can do about the other passengers. Ponies, Vikings; saddle up and ride out!" Twilight Sparkle didn't usually adopt one of Rainbow Dash's attempted catchphrases, but she needed Rainbow Dash's bravado if she was going to rescue Spike from these new, clever enemies. She'd faced all sorts of adversaries before-she once did charge solo against Nightmare Moon, after all, but with Spike's life in the balance, she once again felt afraid.

"How are we supposed to catch up to them?" Fishlegs asked

"Get on our backs" Applejack slid beneath him and in an impressive show of strength carried him easily.

"Think you can hang on this time, flyboy?" Rainbow Dash sidled up to Snotlout

"I feel a need for speed, Dash-you're no Hookfang but you'll do!"

"Dibs on Pinkie!" The twins raised their hands.

"Good think I stashed my party chariot in the train" Pinkie Pie whipped out a two-person chariot from the wreckage

Rarity meanwhile had stripped off her dress and instead put on a saddle-"Hiccup, could you be a dear and tell me how it fits?"

"Astrid, you're with me; hang on tight-we got to gallop!" Twilight tossed her mane, "Follow the tracks!"

/

/

/

"I've got powerful friends; you're going to regret this" Spike glared defiantly at the Vikings guarding him. The little dragon struggled against the bonds as Alvin walked over.

"It's your friends I'm countin' on, my little dragon." Alvin chuckled, "This magic stuff is pretty interesting"

"Oh, you'll gonna get magic, all right! More than you can handle!" Spike threatened.

"I'm countin' on that too." He turned to his men, "Savage, take the lads and make a perimeter. Gnat, Bonedrunk, you stay here with me and the prisoner. Mildew, take the looking glass-they might come in from the sky. Remember, everyone, I want purple one alive. Kill the others. "

"What about Hiccup?" Mildew stopped to ask.

"If he has his dragon, fall back to me. If he doesn't, he can't do anything to us anyway"

As the outcasts fanned out, Alvin noticed a new figure sitting, relaxed in midair behind a desk with a microphone and papers (Alvin didn't know or care) on it.

"How close is this Sparkle to her dragon?" Alvin asked Discord.

Discord was adjusting a headset with his claws as he answered

"They're like brother and sister. A tag team. She'll come for him, and she'll do anything to get him back" Discord explained calmly, enticingly.

"That's what I thought" Alvin smiled thoughtfully at Discord.

"LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!" Discord announced into his microphone.


	6. Chapter 6: Battle of the Cove

Savage scanned the horizon nervously. What if the Berkers had their dragons? They didn't have any catapults or anti-dragon equipment with them. The men next to him were cranking their crossbows, looking at him for guidance. Savage was second to Alvin, but still a cunning warrior that the Outcasts looked to for leadership.

"Look sharp, boys. We don't know what's going to be coming at us" he called out, his eyes still moving across the sky.

"Chief, look!" One of the sentries pointed closer to the ground. Savage looked down to see a large dust cloud, rolling towards the cave that the Outcasts had commandeered. Too fast for humans. Was it those strange horses? Galloping Dragons?

"Fire when they get close enough!" he raised his bone to signal the attack. The Outcasts in the front line, armed with crossbows, lowered and aimed their weapons at the cloud. The moment they could pick out a target, they would fire. Any person in that range would be cut down instantly by the bolts, and the battle would be over then and there.

Savage turned to the elder Viking-"Mildew, tell Alvin we've got company! Get the lads up for battle!"

As Mildew hobbled away, Savage and the Outcasts turned back to the cloud of dust. It seemed obvious, sloppy. Too obvious. Too big a target. A distraction. Before any of them could put two and two together, an impact exploded into the ground. The blast sent Vikings flying, blowing rocks and dirt high into the air with the impact of a catapulted stone.

The projectile? Rainbow Dash. In the center of the ring of destruction stood the blue Pegasus, with Snotlout on her back. As the Outcasts struggled to regain their bearings and senses, Snotlout dismounted.

"That was awesome!" he pumped his fist before unsheathing his axe.

"Oh yeah! Let's clear this place!" Rainbow joined him in the war whoop before they engaged.

The nearest Outcast managed to see his crossbow cut in half before a lightning-fast hoof knocked him out cold. His companion raised his own weapon to shoot at the Pegasus, but Snotlout's axe rang against his helmet and the entire warrior vibrated from the impact. The brawl-happy Viking and the Karate blackbelt gained their advantage early, and quickly put it to use.

The ring of arms and the din of impacts called the other Outcasts to arms. No sooner did the first line of archers fall than a raging mob of warriors charged them. Rainbow and Snotlout just smirked at each other and stood their ground.

That's when the other Vikings and Ponies caught up. A blast of magic scattered the mob, and a volley of bolts and spears were deflected by a bright pink shield as Twilight led the charge, Astrid sending the flat of her sword crashing into the nearest warrior.

Other missiles arced at Pinkie Pie, but she casually ducked and dodged them, impacting the chariot instead.

"Oh man, we forgot our weapons!" Tuffnut realized as their chariot rumbled over another outcast.

"Hey, could someone toss us a weapon?" Ruffnut yelled above the din

THUNK! Two spears sank into the chariot. Promptly, the twins yanked the shafts from the embedded heads.

"Thank you!" Ruffnut said to no one in particular, before swatting down an Outcast.

"You're welcome!" Pinkie responded automatically.

Meanwhile, Applejack's lasso was working hard, disarming one Viking, then tripping up another. A spear was yanked out of a warrior's hands, then send flying to pin another warrior to the wall by his shirt. Astride her, Fishlegs struggled to hold on.

"Whoa! Sorry-it's just that I'm used to going much slower" He apologized after yanking her mane instinctively

"'S alright, sugarcube. Go any weapons of your own?"

"They're all left at home, and I think I'd fall off if I tried picking up one of theirs"

"That's a pickle. "

"Got anything you or I could throw?"

"Nope. Ain't enough rocks here to throw without bringing the cave down. "

"Wait, I've got it. Throw me, Applejack!"

"You sure?"

"Yeah!" Fishlegs braced himself, and with a buck, Applejack sent him flying like a cannonball into the thick of the Outcasts. Those that did recover enough to stand were quickly knocked back into helplessness by some solid kicks by the pony.

"Problem is I can't do it twice" groaned Fishlegs from the floor.

As the others clashed with the Outcasts, Rarity and Hiccup sped straight at a center of torches. Sure enough, there was Alvin the Treacherous and a tied up Spike. Two guards flanked the little dragon, swords at his neck. Mildew leaned on his staff to the side.

Hiccup dismounted. "All right, Alvin, what do you want? If it's me, let's just get it over with. You know what to expect from me and I know what to expect from you. Just take me already" he snapped

"Ah Hiccup" Alvin chuckled, "Usually you're smarter than this. I expected you to come here, but I also thought you'd figure what the game is by now"

"Sorry if I'm reluctant to play by your rules, Alvin" Hiccup crossed his arms and glared.

"Let him go!" Twilight Sparkle trotted in, blasting away the last of Vikings in her path.

"Now we're talking!" Alvin's laugh raised in volume in his triumph

"You see, Hiccup, I don't want you. I want someone who can do magic. Someone like her" he gestured at Twilight.

Twilight gasped.

"That's right; we know you like this little dragon here, so you have a choice-we get the dragon, or we get you" Mildew grinned at Twilight with his broken teeth.

"Why me?"

"Come off it, my little pony; we know you're the only Pony with magic. I know that dragon knows magic, too, so either way, we win." Alvin gestured at the captive Spike.

"Spike's magic is only good for transporting letters. He can't help you in whatever scheme you have in mind." Twilight explained.

"Well then, I guess he's useless. Boys, take off his head-" Alvin raised his hand at the guards

"NO!" Twilight yelled. There was a brief pause. Alvin narrowed his eyes but his smile stayed on. Twilight glared back at him, tears in her eyes. Hiccup turned from one to the other, struggling to think of a plan.

"All right, Alvin. You win." At this, she briefly glanced to Rarity, their eyes meeting, as if a cue. There was a brief pause. Her glance shifted to Hiccup, this time calm and comforting, then finally at Astrid, before meeting Alvin's gaze again.

"You win" she repeated, "I'm yours. Free him."

"But Twilight, you can't! Please, kill me instead!" Spike struggled as he was slowly untied.

"It's all right Spike. Everything will be all right" This time their eyes met. Twilight's unspoken message seemed to calm him, but he still looked worried.

Hiccup realized exactly what Twilight had in mind at that moment, mouthing 'she's got this' at Spike.

"I knew you were smart, Miss Sparkle" Alvin laughed once more. "Hear that lads? We won!" The bruised, battered Outcasts weakley cheered as the others watched in stunned silence. Well, the others except for Rarity; she was busy.

Hiccup's keen eyes were the first to notice her quietly manipulating the cut ropes with her magic, sliding them around the ankles of the two guards and making a very elegant knot. He allowed himself a smile.

Alvin noticed that smile-"What're you smilin' about? Think you can train that dragon? Hah! You might as well forget it, and get used to living with these horses-"

Suddenly the guards fell to the floor, their swords falling out of their hands and scattering away. One sword flew up, glowing with blue energy.

"Sparkle! You're breaking your word!" Alvin was startled for once.

"Oh, I'm not breaking my word. I'm not picking up that sword either" She gave him a triumphant smile of her own.

Then the sword attacked as Rarity charged.

"YOU! WILL! NEVER! EVER! HURT! MY! SPIKEY! AGAIN! I! SHOULD! CUT! YOU! TO! RIBBONS! AND! I! WILL! IF! YOU! PUT YOUR! FILTHY! HANDS! ON! HIM! EVER! AGAIN!" Rarity punctuated each scream with a telekinetic swing, attacking Alvin with such ferocity that even the famed warrior barely could parry the blows. One swing slashed so hard it cut a horn off his helmet. Another made his chain mail rattle.

Mildew, seeing the assault, charged forward, raising his staff to strike Rarity. He barely took a step forward before being body checked to the ground. Looking up, he saw Astrid aiming her sword at his throat.

"I would stay there if I were you" she threatened.

With the last word from Rarity's mouth, their swords met edge to edge, locking in place as the metal cut into each other. Rarity used that opportunity to punch Alvin in the face. The dainty-looking fashionista laid out the Viking chieftan in a single blow, sending a gold tooth flying and the massive warrior crashing down.

Twilight had been using the distraction to start tying up the Vikings with their own belts, eventually manacling even Alvin as he laid there unconscious.

Spike and Rarity rushed to each other, holding each other in an embrace.

"That was touch and go" Twilight set out a sigh as she wiped her forehead with her magic.

"I wish I'd thought of that" Hiccup admitted.

"Oh, I'm sure you would. But it was me he was after this time. Never thought about the other unicorns, did he?"

"Well, I guess this was new to him. My question is how'd he know you were good at magic? Someone must have told him"

"Gee, I wonder who" Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes sarcastically as she helped tie up another Outcast.

"Yeah, me too" Pinkie added, unironically.

"Have you guessed it yet?" a deep giggle echoed around the cave.

"Are you having fun, Discord?" Twilight muttered

"Oh, I'd say I'm quite satisfied" the Draconequus manifested in a referee's shirt, holding up a scorecard showing a "30 : 0".

"Let me guess. This is that Chaos God you told us about? I suppose you know Loki?" Hiccup raised an eyebrow at Discord.

"Big fan, Hiccup; I'm probably his biggest fan" Discord now wore a horned green helmet and was waving a pennant with a big golden L on it, "Of course, with Ragnarok the whole thing breaks, and I just can't bear to break my favorite toys"

"Are you really a God?" Fishlegs walked backwards slowly.

"I suppose I am, but I try to be humble about it" A little halo fizzled above his horns, glowing weakly and sputtering out.

Hiccup actually walked towards the floating chimera.

"Did you bring us here?"

"Oh, only indirectly. I made a lovely little toy when I was bored, and then I lost track of it. I guess it's just my luck it happened to wind up with those horned Helraisers, but it was certainly enjoyable."

"Then are you going to bring us back?" Astrid walked to Hiccup's side.

"Without your dragons? I suppose. I mean, dragons are just great for wreaking havoc in the world. If you don't miss, them, of course, I'll take them off your hands-"

"Never" Hiccup interrupted him.

"Then I suppose you'll just have to get your dragons back before I can send you back. If they're your dragons, you go look for them" Discord sniffed.

"Oh, we will. We were going to do that anyway" Hiccup didn't stop glaring.

"Are they all right?" Fishlegs asked

"For now, I suppose-but I'm sure they'll run into other dragons and ponies and other monsters soon enough. I was hoping for some towns destroyed" Discord replied casually

"I like this guy already" Ruffnutt commented

"Totally" Tuffnut concurred

"Where are the dragons?" Hiccup crossed his arms impatiently

Discord chuckled "Oh, please. They're dragons; they're not that hard to find!" A pith helmet popped onto his horns. "Happy hunting, kids!" And with that he popped back out.

Hiccup sighed.

"Don't worry; we'll do everything we can to find them. I promise, I've even told Princess Celestia about and there's no chance they can hide"

"Thanks, Twilight. I just feel like this is my responsibility"

"I know that feeling. I have the same problem myself"

"Well, count me in!" Spike stretched his arms as he walked towards the group, "Being a dragon should help"

"That's the concept anyway" Rainbow Dash quipped.

"We're in this together, sugarcube. Can't just let you hang out to dry, ya know?" Applejack chimed in

"I even have a dragon call!" Pinkie waved around a small kazoo on her hoof.

"There's no such thing as a dragon call!" Twilight slapped her horn with her hoof.

"It worked on Spike!"

"It usually does when you play it outside the window at 3 in the morning!" Spike sighed

They all shared a laugh.

Thankfully, another train came along, as well as the royal guard. As the Outcasts were flown off to prison by armored pegasi, the dragon riders and the ponies boarded a new train dispatched soley to pick up the wrecked passengers (Fluttershy had flown up to one of the city watchtowers and told them of the crash).

As they settled to their seats, Astrid turned to Rarity.

"Where did you learn how to fight?" the Viking asked

"I took fencing and boxing lessons, darling. Art and craft are my mental exercise, but a girl needs physical exercise, too."

"Gotta say, you were pretty good"

"Why thank you, darling. I prefer not to settle things with violence, but if my sister, or my friends, or my Spikey is in trouble, I will not hesitate to come up with a backup plan. "

"Well, that's my kind of backup plan" Astrid grinned at the unicorn.

Overhearing, Spike turned to Hiccup on the opposite seat

"I think we know some pretty amazing women"

"I've been aware of that for a while, bud, for quite a while".


	7. Chapter 7: Canterlot Castle

It was at the moat of Canterlot Castle that Fishlegs popped the question

"Um, Twilight? Is there a Queen of Equestria? I mean, if she's the one in command, then why isn't she queen?"

"You know, I asked her that myself. She told me she never wanted to forget Princess Luna and her right to rule the night. She refused to take anything away from her sister's fair share" Twilight explained.

"How about having two queens?" Ruffnut offered

"Pretty sure that's not how it works, sugarcube" Applejack chuckled.

"Princess Celly, mighty is she, Princess Celestia!" Pinkie Pie sang as she bounced over the drawbridge to the door.

"Oh, I wish I could introduce you to my brother, but he's now the Prince of the Crystal Empire" Twilight said almost to herself as she knocked on the door.

"Who'd want to rule over crystals?" Tuffnut scratched his head

"I would, darling" Rarity answered with a laugh as the door finally opened.

"You may enter, Twilight Sparkle" the guard announced, "The Princesses await you and your…companions"

"Hiccup, you're the son of your chief, so I think you should go with me. Just stick with me and be polite" Twilight offered

Hiccup sighed, feeling nervous about it. If only dad was here; he knew Berk, he knew how to be a ruler, a leader. Hiccup was just the boy who knew a dragon.

They stepped into the vast chamber, red carpet stretching from the door and in two different directions to the adjacent halls. Each doorway was guarded by two gold-armored horses, either winged or horned, sometimes bearing long golden lances. In front of them the carpet ran up a set of stairs up to the second level, splitting at the wall. The landing between the stairways was decorated with two large stained-glass windows, but it was the people in front of the windows that took Hiccup's breath away.

Or rather, the horse. They were big-huge. The largest was white, with a long horn and huge plumed wings she held unfolded. A jeweled golden collar and diadem adorned her, and her mane and tail were an ethereal aurora. At her side was a smaller but still impressive figure with the same jewelry and physical shape. She was blue-black, however, and her mane and tail were the starry night itself.

"My dear student Twilight Sparkle!" the white princess spoke sweetly, more as a mother, teacher, and friend than any ruler. She turned to one of the gold-armored spearbearers in the hall; "Gleaming Wing, could you get our human guest here? I'm sure she'd love to meet her old friends"

"Yes, your highness" As the guard trotted off, the speaking princess turned back look at Hiccup. He blushed awkwardly.

"Princess Celestia", Twilight rose from her deep, four-footed bow, "I would like to introduce to you the Dragon Riders of Berk"

"Welcome, my friends. I am Princess Celestia of the day. And this is my sister, Princess Luna of the night"

"We have met one of your kin and she has been a considerate guest" Luna spoke

Hiccup was glad at least Gothi knew how to act in this kind of situation, since the Elder always joined the chief on serious matters.

"I'm, I'm-" Hiccup stuttered briefly, "I'm Hiccup H. Haddock III of Berk. I'm the son of," he rubbed his arm and looked at the carpet, "Stoick the Vast, chief of the Vikings of Berk"

"We are honored that the son of the chief comes here. Who are your friends, Hiccup?" Celestia asked.

"I'm Snotlout Jorgeson, one of the oldest and noblest Viking families of Berk" Snotlout puffed and grinned, trying to show off.

"Astrid Hofferson. " Astrid bowed very awkwardly. Usually Stoick never had them bow, but she felt it had to do in this situation.

"Ruffnut Thorston !" "And Tuffnut Thorston! Why don't I ever go first?" "Because R becomes before T!" "Yeah, but my names start with the same letter!"

"Uh, ma'am, I'm Fishlegs Ingerman" Fishlegs said his extremely quickly, bowing even more awkwardly than Astrid.

"Princess, has anyone found…our dragons? I mean, if there's anyone hurt, I'll take the responsibility" Hiccup asked Celestia.

"I've received no word of them so far. The only other person from Berk has been Gothi the elder. She's explained to us about your culture and your dragons. The only incidents reported to me were Twilight's on you and the Outcasts, and the Viking criminal Alvin and his men are now kept under lock and key and heavy watch here."

Gothi herself now entered the room, smiling and leaning on her staff as she approached the teens.

"Gothi is unharmed. Gothi, with the help of your young friends and some of my own, Alvin the Treacherous has been captured and is now under guard"

Gothi sighed in relief, wiping her forehead and nodding in gratitude.

"I think we've found out who's responsible for us being here" Hiccup explained, "Alvin picked up a magic artifact made by someone from this world"

"Discord" Celestia sighed

"You called, mon Princesse?" The goatish dragonish figure parachuted from the ceiling, wearing a tuxedo.

"Discord, are you going to return the people from Berk to their rightful home?" Celestia's question came out more as an order.

"I suppose I could. But really, it's not that hard to figure out the spells on it. Isn't that right, Twilight?"

Twilight glared. "I've been looking at it, and if I have to, I'll use the magic myself. But this is your mess, Discord"

"That doesn't mean I have to clean it up." He blew a raspberry, the beanie on his head spinning

"You're not going to bring the dragons here, are you?" Hiccup crossed his arms

"Oh, you're getting as boring as Twilight, Hiccup. Ponies & Dragons is my favorite game! I've been enjoying it for thousands of years here in Equestria. I'm just trying out new toys"

"The dragons are not your toys!" Hiccup yelled in fury.

"Ooh, some anger. You might turn out like dad after all, m'boy." Discord changed into a black hooded robe, "Good, good. Why can't you ever raise your voice with me, Celestia?"

"You don't want us to raise our voices, Discord" Luna spoke quietly but her glare alone almost glowed.

"I'm pretty sure I do"

"Here's an idea: You're not going to interfere if we go looking for the dragons and bring everyone back to Berk ourselves" Rainbow Dash fluttered right in Discord's face, adding her own glare

Discord laughed, "My dear Rainbow Dash! I wouldn't dream of it! You told me your plan earlier and I love it. Oh Hiccup, you'll fit right into this crowd. You might not even want to come back home! I'd recommend against it!"

"Let me make my own choice" Hiccup's glare never left Discord

"That's what I like to hear", Discord's chuckle remained even after the apparition faded into the air.

"Has he been doing this for a while?" Astrid grumbled

"Yes. We had him imprisoned for his crimes, but he was released again. Last week Fluttershy was kind enough to become his friend, and now he's free again. " answered Celestia

"WHY?" Hiccup was stunned

"Because there's good in him, Hiccup. I know he likes being mean, but I think he knows now how it feels when someone you care for is hurt because of you" Fluttershy walked up to him and looked into his eyes, "I know you understand that. Wouldn't you give someone a chance if you saw that?"

"Yeah, I guess I would" Hiccup sighed, "I've done it myself. It's the right thing"

"It is, and I think we should always remember that and never feel guilty" Fluttershy put her hoof gently on his shoulder

"You're right, you trust him, I trust him" he put his hand on her shoulder in turn.

"You guys are so weird" Astrid grinned at them

"Good thing we like weird" Tuffnut said

"I've already begun planning on how we can find the Dragons, Princesses" Twilight was busy talking.

"Shall we lend you aid? I could have a company of my swiftest guards do the task in your stead" Luna offered

"No. I think all we need are the riders"

"If you give us a map and a ship, I'm sure we could do this ourselves" Astrid offered, joining the conversation

"Are you kidding? I want to meet these dragons of yours!" Pinkie Pie bounced up and down

"Until you come back home, you're stuck with us, chiefie" Rainbow Dash grinned as she agreed

"You've told us so much now I can't wait to see them!" Spike jumped in the air with excitement.

"Are you sure about this, Fluttershy?" Rarity turned to her other Pegasus friend, "I know how you feel about dragons, darling"

"Y-y-yes. If you can trust them, I can trust them. I'm sure they're nice" Fluttershy managed to state her conviction firmly.

"I had a tough time seeing any good in dragons; I almost killed Toothless. Instead I became his best friend". As Hiccup spoke, he realized what Fluttershy meant earlier, and as her eyes widened, he realized she did too.

"Tell you what-I trust Discord, you trust the dragons. Is that a deal?" He extended his hand.

"It's a deal" Fluttershy put her hoof in his hand and they shook.

"Now let's get planning!" Twilight squeed, her tail swishing furiously.

Celestia laughed, "It looks like you have things figured out. Gothi, you're welcome to stay here until they find the dragons. You all have Canterlot at your disposal. Twilight, I know you know where the guest rooms are. Luna?"

"Thank you for your visit, friends from Berk, I hope we shall meet again" Luna nodded at the guests before getting up to walk up the stairs with her sister.

"Thanks for everything!" Hiccup waved awkwardly.

"They're pretty cool" Tuffnut noted.

"The coolest!" Rainbow Dash confirmed.

"I don't suppose you'd be all right waiting here until we find the dragons, Gothi?" Hiccup turned to the old woman

She just shrugged.

"Dibs on the big bed!" Tuffnut called out when they entered the room

"They're all the same size" Fishlegs rolled his eyes.

"Then I get the one by the window!" Snotlout beat Tuffnut to the next pointless dibs.

"There are no windows in this room" Tuffnut blew a raspberry at him

"Yeah, pretty sure that's a mirror" Fishlegs took his shot

Hiccup had already chosen his bed and began sketching.

The two Viking girls shared their room with the Pegasi.

"A bed in a palace. This is so cool!" Ruffnut squeed

"Eh, the ones in Clydesdale are cooler. Those are made of clouds" Rainbow Dash couldn't help one-upping her

"Are you scared of dragons?" Astrid asked Fluttershy

"Well, except for Spike. But yes. Once, there was a dragon that covered the sky with smoke since he was living nearby. We tried to get him out, and I was scared the whole way" She explained

"Did you get rid of him?"

"Yeah. We did. He just needed a good talking to, I guess"

"And you're still scared?"

"Y-yes"

Astrid sighed, "Well, I guess I get that part. I used to be scared of them. My family and dragons have been killing each other for centuries, according to my parents. My uncle Finn who was killed by a Flightmare dragon. When I was little, I was taught to be a dragon killer. I never got old enough to do it, but I did the training and practiced every day so when I found a dragon, I could kill it"

Fluttershy's eyes widened, "Did you?"

"Nah. Turns out that cute little runt that failed at being a Viking found out dragons could be our friends" Astrid settled on her bed, taking off her headband and crossing her arms behind her head.

"He told me about that. I like him" Fluttershy nodded as she fluttered to her own bed

"Me too, Fluttershy. He's pretty special. I think you're going to like our dragons"

"Especially Barf and Belch! We've been teaching him out to burp out fireballs!" Ruffnut interrupted

"Is he that two-headed dragon? He sounds really cool!" Rainbow Dash joined in

Fluttershy sighed. It was hard being brave; it was even harder being excited about looking for dragons.


	8. Chapter 8: Pie for Dessert

"Do all the dragons eat fish?" Twilight had asked Hiccup that morning at breakfast.

"There's a bit of variety, surprisingly. Some go for red meat, others go for foliage. Gronkles eat rocks, for example"

"That's it!" Fishlegs snapped his fingers, "is there some quarry or mountain rich in minerals? When Meatlug finds a good rocky area, she stays there to browse for a long time"

"Ooh! Ooh! I know! A rock farm! My family has one! That's where I was born!" Pinkie had bounced up and down in excitement.

"Does she go for gems, or does she just eat any kind of mineral?" Spike asked.

"She's not picky. That's not how I raised her. We're versatile" Fishlegs looked proud.

"Well, the rock farm idea has some merit. We'll start there, then try the surrounding farms. We'll take the southwest line, get off before we hit Applewood. There's a mountain range there by the farm that causes the San Palamino desert" Twilight mused

"Mountain ranges and deserts? I can't wait to see those. I've only imagined them back home" Hiccup's eyes widened.

"Yeah, and wait til you meet my folks!" Pinkie Pie chimed in.

"What kind of farm was that again?" Astrid asked

"A rock farm! The finest in the county!"

"Who would want to farm rocks? They're rocks!" Snotlout scoffed

Pinkie just glared at him, chewing her muffin angrily.

"I dunno-I've seen some really cool rocks before" Ruffnut argued.

"Yeah, like remember that one that looked like gold? Only it was all cubes and crystals and stuff? I can't believe trader Johann didn't want to buy it!" Tuffnut joined in

"It's called pyrite" Twilight rolled her eyes

"FOOL's Gold. Appropriate" Hiccup quipped.

"It looks cool!" Ruffnut turned to him

"If you set it in silver, it does have a very nice metallic effect, but that's because the silver is there to complement the color and sheen" Rarity said thoughtfully

"It has its own little flavor. Tastes a little like kale" Spike added

"I-I like kale" Fluttershy said awkwardly.

"I can't believe we've changed the subject from dragons to lettuce" Rainbow Dash placed a hoof on her face.

"Isn't it a nice change though?" the other pegasus offered

Rainbow Dash and the Vikings spoke in unison, "No"

Fortunately, no accidents interrupted the journey to the rock farm, and the conductor was surprisingly understanding about letting them off halfway to Applewood.

"I think it helps knowing a national hero" Hiccup smirked at Twilight

"With foreign dignitaries" she smirked back as they got off the train.

"Dignitaries imply dignity" Spike muttered, looking at Pinkie and Snotlout in their debate on the merit of rock farming.

Hiccup and Twilight both cracked up at that one.

"And my dad's name is Igneous Rock but don't call him Iggy; Only close personal friends can call him Iggy-Clyde too, so just call him Pa or Mr Rock or Mr Pie; I know there's other ponies named Mr Rock and Mr Pie but dad'll understand if you call him either of those: not the nicknames, I mean, Mr. Rock or Mr Pie. Mom can be Mrs Pie or Mrs Rock; she considers it too flirty to call her Pearl or Sue and she's a married mare after all; just make sure they're both Pie or both Rock 'cause calling one Rock and the other Pie doesn't make any sense, I mean who thinks rocks and pies go together? I guess that makes my family really special-"- Pinkie led their way through the mountains, completely oblivious to the point of the whole trip.

Meanwhile, Twilight and Hiccup took turns at the telescope she packed, Rainbow Dash flying above them with her eyes peeled.

"Darling, it's fine if you took my binoculars. I don't know what your dragon looks like" Rarity offered them to Fishlegs, who accepted them gratefully

"She looks like this", Hiccup took out a sketch of Meatlug from his bag.

"Oh. How…charming" Rarity tried not to grimace.

"Isn't she adorable?" Fishlegs cooed, "She's such a sweetheart"

"She is cute" Fluttershy admitted, "Like a big puppy dog!"

"Hiccup, are you an artist?" Rarity changed the subject

"I guess so. I sketch in my spare time. Helps me remember a lot, and it really helps Gobber out when we have to design something." He explained

"Ooh! A fellow artiste! I certainly know how sketches help with design. The design of the dress itself needs to be sketched out, the patterns, et cetera…May I look at your sketches?" the unicorn perked up

Hiccup hung his satchel onto her saddle as they made their way through the pass before returning to the telescope.

"I'm just glad you know how to use a telescope" Twilight admitted

"Trader Johann got me one-believe me, they're really helpful."

"Have you ever used them on the stars?"

"For navigation, yes. I'm not that bad at this Viking thing"

"I just prefer astronomy for its own sake, but I certainly understand the navigational use"

Before Twilight had to explain what Astronomy was, Pinkie squealed out in happiness

"There's our farm!"

Most farms have silos. So did this one. Most farms have barns. So did this one. Most farms have crops in the field. This one did not.

"Oh gods it's a real rock farm" Hiccup's jaw dropped

"Yep! Got a good crop of flint this year! " Pinkie looked proud.

"So do you guys actually eat the rocks?" Astrid just stared

"Don't pretend you haven't tried 'em." Tuffnut scoffed at her

"Yep. They don't taste very good, but you can use rocks for more than food-" Pinkie stopped talking to duck a thrown stone, courtesy of Snotlout, "-ooh, good example!"

As they approached the farm's closed gate, Pinkie called out.

"Mom! Dad! Maude, Limey, Marb!"

No response.

"That's funny-they get angry when I don't call them their full names. At least, I know Limestone Pie gets angry. Hard to tell with Marble and Maude"

"They're either gone or hidin' from somethin'" Applejack concluded, "wonder what's up"

"Maybe we should keep our distance?" Fishlegs suggested.

"Don't be silly. Distance belongs to everybody! You gotta share it!" Pinkie scoffed before pronking her way to the house to knock on the door. Reluctantly, the others followed, Spike already looking around nervously.

"Hey everypony, it's Pinkie!" she squealed.

Cautiously, the door opened.

"Pikemena, my daughter", a grey-maned pony slowly nodded, "what brings thee to our farm on this occasion?"

"Hi daddy! I met some new friends, well, a lot of friends, some of them are old, they just haven't met you. Anyway, we're all here to help." She bounced out of the way.

"What creatures be they?" a grey mare gasped from behind the stallion.

"My name is Twilight Sparkle, a pupil of Princess Celestia. These are my friends from ponyville…and a far off land."

"My name be Igneous Rock Pie, pupil Twilight sparkle, son of Feldspar Granite Pie. This be mine wife, Cloudy Quartz. We be doth honored by thine presence and may the princess' blessings be upon us all." He bowed.

"Um, hello. My name is Hiccup Horrendous Haddock" Hiccup tried to be formal but his wave and bow were even more awkward than usual, "son of Chief Stoick the Vast from the Island of Berk in the Northern Sea. I'm here to fix your…dragon problem?"

"Aye, the beast. Son of Stoick, I know not what creature be thee, but the Pie family would be honored if thou hath the ability to save us from this blight"

"Why should we trust you?" A white maned mare suddenly galloped forward, eyes narrowed, "How would we know you are thieves to steal our crop? Is that a baby Dragon with you? You're here to help the dragon, aren't you?"

"Of course not" Spike hopped off Twilight's back, "My name's Spike, and believe me I don't want to eat your rocks. I'm here so maybe I can talk that dragon out of it. I mean, I've been greedy before, but not anymore"

"He is obviously not the same species as the dragon in the mountain, Limestone. His scales are completely different their geometry and texture, and his proportions are infantile instead of adult" a monotone voice interrupted them.

"Limestone! Maude! Great to see ya, sis and sis!" Pinkie grinned at them, "Don't worry about Spike here. He's a-okay. The only rocks he eats are gems, and he knows when to stop most of the time"

"Beloved Quartz, please lock up the gemstones" Igneous turned to his bespectacled wife, who went back inside the house.

"Sounds like Meatlug all right. I hope she's okay" Fishlegs turned to Hiccup

"I don't think they hurt her; Gronckles burrow, don't they? Obviously we can track her if she's actually in the mountain."

"The dragon has already devoured the top layer of rippled Cretaceous sandstone. You can see the ammonite fossils to date the layer" Maude turned to the Vikings, "It has moved onto the mountain, eating its way through the obsidian deposit and the underlaying porphyritic granite, and has made a tunnel through the next layers of basalt. If he reaches the metamorphic section at the base, the weight of the remaining basalt and overlying breccia will collapse, and incur a rockslide. Rocks fall; everybody dies" Maude concluded.

"Ay ya yi! The whole farm's in danger!" Pinkie Pie's cheer turned to horror.

"Then it's definitely Meatlug. I'll go in-" Hiccup started towards the mountain.

"No, she's my girl, Hiccup, my responsibility" Fishlegs sighed, "If I can't get to her, nobody will. Just cave in the tunnel behind me if I don't make it; it'll make the rocks go straight down."

"Wait, I'll go with you" Spike volunteered, "I've always wanted to meet your dragons, and maybe I can help talk her out of it"

"Be careful, both of worst comes to worst, I'll have to take her myself." Twilight said gravely.

"Please take care of yourself, Spikey" Rarity kissed his top spike as Twilight lit some branches for the two to use as torches.

"Sounds like things are getting' sticky. Mr. Rock Pie, what say ya'll move to the other side of the farm just in case?" Applejack suggested as Fishlegs and Spike made their way to the mountain.

"Indeed, my property has been given to me by providence, and if providence hath decreed I lose it, so may it be" he looked sadly at the ground.

"The plan is sound enough" Maude droned, "If they manage to at least redirect the path, the slide will miss the farm, and we can plant with the debris. My only concern is that some of the layers are a matrix of conglomerate, not uniform deposit."

"And at least they're going in there instead of us" Limestone sniffed.

"I like her" Snotlout nodded thoughtfully.

"What be thine friend's bond with the beast?" Quartz asked Hiccup as they left the farmstead.

"Well, when we each decided to tame a dragon as our own, Fishlegs chose Meatlug. He really loves her…. sometimes too much. I know he'd do anything for her, so if anyone can get to her, it's Fishlegs. "

The cave itself was easy to find-Meatlug was a messy eater to say the least. Fishlegs and Spike took a deep breath in unison, then entered the cave, following the trail of broken rocks. The sunlight became dimmer and dimmer as they went deeper.

"I hate caves" Fishlegs admitted, the darkness enveloping them.

"Yeah, I used to be scared of them. Turns out there's usually nothing but bats. Twilight hates bats, but Fluttershy got me over them"

"On Berk, it's usually dragons in them more than bats. I'd say that's a bit more dangerous"

"Are there bat dragons?" Spike wondered aloud

"I guess there's the Terrible Terrors, but they're more annoying than scary. I guess you could call a Horrendous Nightmare a bat-dragon, but they're not exactly that batty. More like spikes and fire and a lot of nastiness"

"Let me guess, Snotlout has that one"

Fishlegs laughed, "Ooh, good catch"

"Gronckles are cute and cuddly. I'm more scared of a Whispering Death. Mostly head and mouth, covered in spikes, eating everything in their path. " he shuddered at the memory.

"That sounds totally awesome and totally terrifying at the same time"

"Terrifying, yes"

Eventually the sunlight almost faded entirely. By then, both Fishlegs and Spike now could hear a faint crunching sound.

"That's the noise of eating rocks. Is that her?" Spike asked.

"Pretty sure"

Slowly, they closed in, trying to be as quiet as a chubby Viking and baby dragon could be. There was a brief pause when they finally saw her macelike tail flailing happily.

"Hoo boy" Spike remembered his own bad experiences with tails like that.

"Yeah, she can snap a sword in half that way. She's so cute" Fishlegs cooed.

"I'll take your word for it." Spike deadpanned as they closed to just outside tail range.

"Oh Meatlug? Meatie?" Fishlegs whistled. Spike clapped his hands, really out of ideas.

The tail stopped flailing.

"We've got to distract him. Does he eat gems?" Spike pondered.

"One little gem isn't going to grab his attention. Unless" Fishlegs scratched his chin thoughtfully, "Do you have a gem on you?"

"Yeah…I was hoping for a snack," Spike sheepishly took the small stone from between some of his back spines and handed it to the boy, "but I guess it'll make bait. "

"Here goes," taking in a deep breath, Fishlegs struck one of the fallen pebbles with the sapphire. It made a barely audible thud, but it was enough.

Suddenly Spike was faced with a wide maw, the twitching ears, the alert eyes, and the huge jaws of the Gronkle.

"Meaty" Fishlegs sang out.

The big dragon grinned, his tongue lolling out.

On the other side of the field, the humans and ponies strained to hear what was going on.

"What I wouldn't give for Granny Smith's ear trumpet" Applejack muttered.

"I made something like that, but it's still at my forge. " Hiccup struggled to strain his ears.

"HEY SPIKE! FISHLEGS! HOW'S IT GOING IN THERE?!" Pinkie yelled into a megaphone, rattling the other onlookers and making Rarity drop her binoculars.

After Pinkie's outburst, there was an eerie silence for the next minute.

"Hold on-I see Spike, and Fishlegs, and….what is that?" the keen eyed Rainbow Dash struggled to identify the figures leaving the mountain.

"It's Meatlug!" Hiccup cried out in relief.

"Aye, they hath subdued the beast!" Cloudy Quartz was in shock.

The Vikings were the first to approach the big brown dragon, the ponies, especially Fluttershy and the Pies, keeping their distance.

"Wow, I guess the dragons of Berk really are different" Twilight tried to take in Meatlug.

"Oh, she's pretty ordinary for a Gronkle" Hiccup explained.

"She is not! She is the best Gronkle" Fishlegs cooed, scratching the dragon behind the ear and receiving a slobbery lick in response.

"Spike, are you all right?" Rarity looked worriedly at the much smaller dragon.

"Yeah, it wasn't that hard" he blushed, "We just lured her out. Turns out she likes gems as much as I do"

"That was great, guys" Hiccup congratulated them, "good thing you were able to get her back out"

"We will still have to repair and reinforce the mountain" Maude droned.

"WHAT?!" the relief vanished instantly.

"Erosion. The dragon went deep enough so that if a cave forms through the damage of moisture and other forms of cumulative molecular hydraulic erosion as well as reaction of alkaline minerals with carbonic acid, it will still bring down the mountainside. "

"Maude, it takes thousands of years for that to happen. You know that" Twilight groaned.

"It is still an eventuality" the other pony's voice didn't change tone.

"What if Meatlug just repaired it herself?" Fishlegs pondered.

"That's it!" Hiccup snapped his fingers, "Fishlegs, how much lava do you think you can get out of her?"

"Well, it looks like she hasn't fired for a while now."

"Twilight, we can fix the tunnel" Hiccup turned to the pony.

"I think I know exactly what you mean!" she clapped her hooves on the ground in excitement.

Pinkie just turned to the audience, "Did anyone catch ANY of that?"

Meanwhile, Fluttershy had slowly come up to the discussed Gronkle.

"Um, Meatlug? I'm Fluttershy. I'm scared of dragons, and I was wondering if we can still be friends" she squeaked out quietly.

The big brown creature sniffed her, making her whimper in fear….then gave her a big lick. When Fishlegs and Twilight came over, they found the yellow Pegasus cooing and rubbing the rocky stomach of the upside-down dragon.

"Fluttershy, can I have my dragon back?"

"I'm sorry, Fishlegs" Fluttershy blushed but her smile never left, "She's a lot sweeter than I thought she'd be. I'm glad I was wrong"

"Looks like you made a friend, girl!" Fishlegs scratched the Gronckle behind her ear, "Now, are you ready to throw up some lava?" Meatlug gave her trademark basso growl.

"You can do it" Fluttershy encouraged her quietly, happier with a grown-up dragon that she could have imagined.


	9. Chapter 9: Never Laugh At Live Dragons

"Well, that's one down. Got any ideas where the other dragons could be?" Rainbow Dash asked Hiccup as Fishlegs, Meatlug and Twilight went towards the mountain to repair it.

"Nothing in particular. There's too many waterways to really pin down one" Hiccup examined Twilight's map.

"Dragons must be where dragons hang out!" Tuffnut snapped his fingers.

"of course, that's brilliant!" Pinkie Pie gasped.

"Well, duh" Snotlout scoffed.

"Wait, for once he has a point!" Hiccup suddenly looked up.

"Thanks for finally noticing-HEY!"

"Spike, Twilight-is there a place where dragons tend to gather? Like mating grounds or hunting grounds or anything like that?"he continued.

"Oh yeah" Spike scratched his spines sheepishly, "Dragons like this one place way down south. It's like a volcano, and they're pretty nasty down there. Tried living there-met some really mean dragons. Not a good experience. "

"Figures. Well, I guess we'll just have to look anyway. How far is it?"

"It's on another continent." Applejack explained, "We'll have to take balloons or take a ship. Those dragons are pretty violent, so we'll have to be careful."

"We're pretty used to violence" Astrid shrugged, "but what's a balloon?"

"A really slow way to fly" Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes.

"Don't diss balloons!" Pinkie Pike's eyes narrowed as she poked Rainbow with her hoof.

"Oh, balloons have their uses, darling-they can be a canvas, or a design in of themselves. Why must you always be pragmatic?" Rarity sniffed.

"Can someone PLEASE explain what a Balloon is?!" Ruffnut whined. Applejack opened her mouth, but was interrupted by the other ponies arguing.

"Funny when that happens to someone else, isn't it?" Hiccup said to Ruffnut with a smirk.

By the time they finally got an explanation out to the Vikings, Fishlegs, Twilight and Meatlug had returned, and had to be filled in on the plan.

"What about Meatlug?" Fishlegs interrupted, "I think she should come with us, she can handle herself"

"I dunno-they made fun of me for being so little and weak. A dragon that can't talk is going to be suspicious" Spike objected.

"A diversion…." Hiccup rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "She's pretty much indestructible anyway, and it might give us time to find the other dragons."

"As long as I'm not the diversion this time" Spike sighed in relief.

"Haven't fought a dragon in a while-this should be fun" Snotlout was the only one excited. Fluttershy just whimpered.

"We may not have to fight, though" Twilight said, "by your description the other dragons may just give this dragon his space. "

"That's usually the case with Monstrous nightmares, but on the other hand they actively go looking for fights" Hiccup explained.

"So we'll already be in a fight in progress" Twilight sighed in frustration.

"I wouldn't sweat it; Hookfang can take any dragon they throw at him" Snotlout scoffed.

"Hold on a second, sugarcube; I just realized a balloon ain't nearly big enough for all of us, 'specially if we take Fishleg's dragon here with us." Applejack interrupted with a sudden insight.

"We'd need an airship, but how would we get one?" Twilight agreed.

"An airship?" Rarity's eyes suddenly widened, "Darling, I know just the pony!"

Hiccup's expression was stuck in "awe" mode for a long time even after entering the yacht. For once he wishes magic was part of life on Berk just so he could construct something like this. A form of flying that didn't require a dragon! This would be perfect when the dragons needed their rest or needed to feed. His always-active mind exploded in possibilities.

"Is-is he okay?" Fluttershy whispered in Astrid's ear. The girl just smirked.

"Yeah, he's like that when he sees something he likes. He'll snap out of it when reality sets in"

"Your new friends are absolutely fascinating, Rarity" the mustached gentlestallion commented as the airship reached its flying elevation.

"Why thank you, Fancy Pants. I really do appreciate this favor from you. I hope this doesn't come off as too much"

"Captain Windy Step was a trifle concerned about the destination, but I assured him with Celestia's pupil and a crew of experience dragon-handlers aboard, there was nothing to be worried about. I've even acquired a bit of fascination for dragons myself since you talk about your friend Spike so much"

"Uh, thanks, I like to think of myself as interesting" Spike blushed.

It took a day to arrive, but the blackened lands of the dragon country was unmistakable.

"So dragons around here are like Gronckles, eating mostly minerals?" Fishlegs was talking to Spike.

"Well, gems. We can eat other stuff but we prefer gems. And it turns out this place is loaded with gems. I've read about pony expeditions here, but they don't get far before being chased off. "

As they landed, naturally Fancy Pants and Windy Step elected to stay behind.

"I-I-I think I should stay back, too" Fluttershy said.

"I'll stay with you, Fluttershy" Spike sighed, "I really have bad memories of this place"

"Fine then-keep the ship ready to take off quickly. We might run into trouble" Twilight nodded.

"Even without the other dragons around, Monstrous Nightmares are a handful" Hiccup agreed, "they're a lot more dangerous than Gronckles-excellent fliers, able to attack with their wings, plenty of fire blasts before exhaustion, and they set themselves on fire"

"You really don't want to miss it!" Tuffnut added.

"Shoot, my rope ain't fireproof" Applejack joked.

"Fine. I'll take point. Astrid, Snotlout, Rainbow Dash, cover , Applejack, run to the blimp when we need to get out"

"I'll go with you" Hiccup volunteered, "Fishlegs, you and Meatlug stay under cover. We might need you guys if there's a fight. Rarity, Tuffnut, Ruffnut, keep an eye out in case of more dragons coming in. And try to stay out of sight."

"Don't worry, I did remember to pack this lovely earth-tone cloak and hat. It should be decent camouflage. Darlings, did you-oh" Rarity stopped when she noticed that the twins had somehow managed to patch together rather elaborate tree disguises.

"We are so stealthy right now!" Tuffnut announced.

"Good. Everybody be careful. I see some dragons now." Twilight motioned as the team scattered.

As Hiccup approached them, he could make out they had a more humanoid shape, but oddly each looked quite individual. On Berk dragons varied mostly in color within a species, but it looked like radically different body shapes were frequent on Equestria. Were they different species? Is this just an individual thing?

"Hey, you look familiar!" The red dragon in the middle suddenly noticed Twilight, his small yellow wings flapping in surprise.

" 't worry, I'm not here to start any trouble"

"Good. We don't want any stupid little ponies and their namby pamby princess telling us what to do. You ponies usually are smart enough to leave us alone. What are you doing here?"

"Well, we're here looking for one particular dragon" Hiccup piped in, "It's about 60 feet long with a 20 foot wingspan, bright red, big horns, only two legs-"

"Sure, we've seen-what the heck are you?!" the red dragon did a double take.

"I'm sure you're not interested" Hiccup put on a pleading grin and put up his hands, "I'm just looking for a dragon I know"

The red one raised a scaly black eyebrow.

"That's right. We'll be on our way once we find him. Just keep doing what you're used to doing" Twilight couldn't prevent a sweatdrop from forming on her mane.

"Uh huh. Whatever happened to that wussy little rookie you hung out with, anyway?"

"Oh, you know, hanging around with ponies." Twilight managed to speak out the truth without compromising anything. Hanging around Applejack paid off.

"Ha! Knew it!" he snapped his claws.

"You're looking for that dumb one? The one that's probably related to Crackle?" The lanky purple dragon interrupted.

"That's the one!" Hiccup put on a smile even as he tried not to back away.

"Yeah, he was a really good fighter, but he didn't want to hang out. He just beat us-I mean, he sparred a little and then took off for the coast. "

"Thanks! That's all we needed to know, now we'll just be on our way-" Twilight spoke quickly as she and Hiccup slowly backed away towards the cover of the rocks.

A sudden crunching sound interrupted them.

"Hey, I was eating those!"

They all turned to see a huge brown dragon with large horns and a mace tail shake his fist at Meatlug, who was helping himself to a pile of gems.

"You're trying to help this idiot steal our food!" the red one turned with a snarl.

"But that doesn't make any sense!" Twilight and Hiccup said in unison.

And then the red dragon charged.

Hiccup dove for cover as Twilight intercepted the steam of fire with a shield of magic.

"Fume, Clump, get 'em!"

"A little busy right now!" Clump the brown dragon was tail-fencing with Meatlug at the moment, and was getting quite frustrating at meeting a dragon just as durable and strong.

"Um, right!" Fume, the purple one, had no such distraction. He was almost on top of Hiccup when Astrid and Snotlouts swords came down on his tail. "Yeow!"

"More of them!" the red dragon gasped.

"What's going on, Garble?" Fume asked his friend.

"I don't know! Just get them!"

"I'll tell you what's going on!" A voice came from above.

Garble looked up…then was kicked in the face at high velocity.

"Rainbow Dash is what's going on" The blue Pegasus announced as she landed next to Twilight.

"I'll run back to the ship with the others, we've got to tell"-Rarity's monologue was interrupted by the twins having cast off their disguises and taken their maces off their belts.

"Woohoo!" Ruffnut and Tuffnut didn't hear a word Rarity said.

"Lovely", the unicorn sighed before she galloped off after Pinkie and Applejack..

Meanwhile, Garble and Fume had Astrid and Snotlout back to back, slashing with their claws and tails. Snotlout's sword was knocked out of his hand by a swipe from Garble.

Then magical ropes suddenly wrapped around the Dragon's mouth, arms, and legs and he went down like a chopped tree.

Fume turned to Twilight, realizing it was her magic at work, and took a deep breath to roast her alive, only to be interrupted in turn by two maces smacking into his head.

"So much for stealth!" Astrid rolled her eyes before turning to Hiccup. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, are you?" Hiccup had managed to crawl behind a rock for cover.

"Run back to the ship, we'll hold them off!" she gave the command.

As milady orders, Hiccup thought to himself as he ran as fast as he could. Fume flew after him, hovering low over the ground. He was almost on top of him when a white hoof smacked the dragon in the snout and sent him reeling.

"Get on, darling!" Rarity gasped as Rainbow Dash and the twins caught up to the purple dragon. Soon Rarity was off again, Hiccup holding on at full gallop.

Meanwhile Twilight was concentrating hard to keep her spell working.

"Astrid, Snotlout, get out of here. We can't hold them off forever" She was referring to Fishlegs and Meatlug, who were keeping Clump at bay.

It was only after the two Vikings had run off from the clearing that Twilight turned to Fishlegs.

"Can you outfly these guys?"

"I'd have to do it now-Meatlug's tiring out as much as they are"

"Then we run." Suddenly, the spell stopped. As Clump and Garble slowly recovered, Meatlug and Twilight fled back to the airship.

"This ship can't outfly dragons!" Captain Windy Step protested.

"Huh. Oh well." Pinkie Pie said with shrug.

The engine was ready by the time the rest of the ponies and Vikings arrived, but the dragons were close behind.

"What happened?" Spike gasped.

"Negotiations ….kinda broke down" Hiccup panted.

"Is everyone all right?" the little dragon continued.

"I think so. We should try to hold them off here as long as possible" Twilight struggled to put together a plan.

"Are they as tired as we are?" Fishlegs asked Spike.

"I don't know. They might be, but if they're still chasing they might still want to fight"

"Hey, there's the squirt! And more ponies!" Garble interrupted them.

The Vikings unsheathed their weapons once more. Fluttershy and Rarity placed themselves firmly in front of Spike and Hiccup. Rainbow Dash and Applejack braced themselves as Twilight's horn crackled with magical energy once more.

And a deafening roar made everyone freeze in their tracks.

Down came a huge, red dragon, flying low until landing on folded, spiky wings. The great horned head opened its long-toothed mouth and roared again.

"Way to go Hookfang!" Snotlout pumped his fist.

The teen dragons all let out a stream of fire, but with powerful flaps of the adult dragon's wings stopped the flames in their tracks.

"Uh oh" Fume said.

Clump charged headfirst and Garble swung his tail, but in a smooth movement Hookfang met Clump head-on and rammed him back into a rock formation, then sent Garble tumbling backwards with a single swipe of his tail. A long blast of fire toasted the three dragons.

"Good boy!" Snotlout punched the Monstrous Nightmare on the head affectionately, "Now you guys clear out!" Hookfang punctuated with another roar.

All Garble and his gang did was let out a high-pitched scream of terror before they flew away frantically.

"I missed you, 'fang! I bet you're happy-" Snotlout got the dragon's attention. As in, the dragon chomped down on him, gave him a shake, then spat him out nearby.

"Aww, he missed you too" Astrid teased.

"That's the Hookfang I know" Snotlout groaned happily from the ground. To the amazement of the ponies, he simply got back up and climbed on the Monstrous Nightmare, "Yeah, my dragon's pretty awesome".

"That's how they express affection" Hiccup explained with a smirk.

"What did I just see?" Windy Step said to himself before shaking his head and moving back to the ship.

Meanwhile, Twilight joined Hiccup and Snotlout to inspect Hookfang.

"He's a lot closer to the dragons I'm familiar with around here. Of course, a bit less intelligent, but more recognizable", she said.

"Yeah, Stokers are more of the typical dragon shape, but they have what's called 'wyvern' style legs. Do any dragons around here have only one pair of legs?" Hiccup said.

"Come to think of it, they're all hexapodal" Twilight shook her head

"Well, that makes ours easier to find." Snolout added.

"And yet there's no reports. We'll have to go to less populated regions, where a dragon can hide for a while without being spotted. Unfortunately, there's a lot of those" Twilight thought aloud.

"We could go back to the waterway plan. Are there stretches of the river without any kind of settlement?" Hiccup asked her.

"More that you'd think. Maybe we should put in at Baltimare, rent a ship, and then go up the Rolling Rock River. We'll wind up at Ponyville or Canterlot depending on the branch of the river" As she spoke, she magicked out a quill and parchment, drawing a quick sketch of the geography.

"That's a good idea-if we wind up back in Canterlot, it's still a central location and we can fan out in any direction. Rivers often come down from the melting snows or springs in the mountains for my experience"

"Exactly! The rivers then come out and fan out to the coasts. That way we can start from Canterlot again, resupply, and follow established routes. I'll have to tell the captain to put in at Baltimare"

"Eggheads" Rainbow Dash sighed, having overhead the conversation.

"Yeah, we put up with that a lot" Tuffnutt nodded.

"Usually we wait for him to say it the normal way at the end" Ruffnut added.

Rarity, meanwhile, looked intensely embarrassed in front of Fancy Pants.

"I hope you weren't offended by this little…diversion. It's something I have to do for my friends and I really do appreciate your generous help on it" She stared at the ground.

"Oh, Rarity, I find these new friends just as charming and fascinating as your usual social circle. This adventure has been a real treat, and I can't wait to tell my friends about it. It will make quite the tale!" he assured her.

"Oh yeah? You should tell him about how you saved my life from that big guy with the sword who held me hostage! " Spike crossed his arms, standing protectively next to Rarity.

"My word! That sounds quite exciting!"

"Oh, it was rather unfortunate; I nearly lost my dear little Spike! I'd rather not talk about it"

"Of course; just let me know when you feel comfortable about it, although I rather say it sounds quite colorful!"

"Colorful.I suppose that's the best word to describe this week" Rarity half-muttered.

Hiccup tried to take it all in when they reached Baltimare. Great ships filled the bay, giant buildings rose into the sky, and ponies of all shapes and sizes and colors filled the city.

"Darling, you should see Manehattan someday" Rarity had noticed his expression.

"Sorry, it's just a bit much to take in."

"Yep, I 'member I felt the same way when I went to Manehattan the first time. When you live on a farm, the big ol' city makes ya kinda feel smallish" Applejack smiled at the memory.

"That was quite a delightful experience" Fancy Pants was saying his goodbye to Rarity as Twilight led the rest of the party to a ship. The captain didn't agree but simply said his polite goodbye to Twilight.

"I do apologize for springing this on you. I assure you the next time I have an invitation I won't obligate you to do anything for us" Rarity couldn't stop being embarrassed.

"It's a mere trifle! Next time you wish to catch up, do not hesitate to write me a letter. " Somehow the posh unicorn was entirely unflappable.

Hiccup tried to ignore the gawking as he followed Twilight to the ship; even back on Berk he hated all the attention. For most of his life he had wanted that kind of staring and gawking-after the fight with the Red Death, he pretty much realized it just made things very awkward. Sure, it was understandable given he was an entirely new species to them, but he couldn't help it. Is this what Toothless felt like back home?

The captain of the ship did the same double take that the airship captain had, but fortunately was just as professional, giving a shrug and allowing the Vikings to board. Well, the Vikings except Snotlout and Fishlegs, who had insisted on riding their dragons instead of staying put on the ship.

"Just think of it as an escort" Twilight tried to spin it positively.

"An AWESOME escort" Ruffnut corrected her.

As they started their path downstream, Hiccup turned back to his sketchbook. He couldn't help but start drawing Toothless again.

"I miss them, too" Astrid offered, looking down over his shoulder.

"I know should I be patient and optimistic and all that, but…I'm worried about him."

"Yeah, I know. We'll find him soon enough. He's a grown up-dragon, he can handle himself." She put her hand on his shoulder. It was exactly what he needed.

Hiccup turned to smile at her, "Thanks. I'm glad I'm with you"

Astrid smirked back, "You should be".


End file.
